Seven clubs circle as unthinkable Chooks call sparks NRL frenzy
Sam Walker is about to hit the NRL open market after the Roosters sensationally pulled an extension offer off the table on Monday.
Billionaire Chooks chairman Nick Politis is reportedly fuming at the halfback and his management after lengthy negotiations resulted in a stalemate.
Sam Walker is hitting the NRL market. Getty Images
It means the 24-year-old will be able to field offers from rival NRL clubs as of Saturday, when the league’s contract period restarts.
And on top of that, News Corp reports the Chooks may yet agree to release him from his 2027 commitments if the Sydney glamour club gets a suitable proposal.
With fellow champion halfback Nathan Cleary also coming off contract, the halves market is about to go into a frenzy.
Nine.com.au runs the rule over the potential landing spots for the premiership-winning Roosters playmaker.
Panthers
Aside from Walker, the biggest name coming off contract on Saturday is Penrith halfback Cleary.
Cleary put his own negotiations on hold to focus on the NRL finals, then suffered a gruesome leg injury in the prelims and has been at home recovering since, while also spending rare time with his partner Mary Fowler.
The 28-year-old is regarded as the best player in the game and he will have offers flooding in from around the globe. A number of rival NRL clubs will likely come knocking, as well as Super League teams and even Rugby Australia – who are not bound by the NRL’s contract rules anyway.
The Panthers will be hoping to keep Cleary but if not, Walker would be their next best option.
Swapping one champion halfback for another – who is also four years younger – would all but ensure Penrith remains a finals force for many years to come.
Walker would also be stepping from one of the NRL’s most professional organisations to another, although four-time premiership coach Ivan Cleary is finishing up at the end of next season.
Nathan Cleary. Getty Images
Chiefs
Papua New Guinea is the obvious suitor and will almost certainly have the chequebook ready to throw substantial money at Walker come Saturday.
He won’t be the Chiefs’ only November 1 target, but he will be one of the biggest.
Reports state the incoming 19th team could spend upwards of $1.5 million a season on a top-class No.7 to partner Jarome Luai in the halves come 2028.
Having won an NRL premiership already, and after making his Origin and international debuts this year, Walker may see a move to Port Moresby as the final piece in his rugby league legacy.
His addition to that squad would catapult the Chiefs into instant finals contention. He would join the likes of Luai, Zac Lomax, Joey Manu, Alex Johnston, and Brian To’o in one of the best backlines in the league.
Bears
The other team desperately looking for a top-line halfback is Perth.
The Bears enter the competition next season and, so far, the man wearing the No.7 jersey will be Toby Sexton.
Sexton was having his best season in the NRL last year before the Bulldogs sensationally sidelined him and brought Lachlan Galvin into the side.
While he is a solid halfback, he is certainly not in the same class as Walker or Cleary and the Bears are lacking any serious star power.
And like the Chiefs, they are expected to have plenty of cash to splash on a marquee signing who can put bums on seats.
If the Roosters are serious about being open to letting Walker leave early, no doubt Perth coach Mal Meninga would jump at the chance to bring Walker straight into the team.
The NRL would also likely get behind it, as Walker would provide an instant marketing boost for the incoming WA outfit.
The question will be whether Walker wants to pack his bags and move across the country.
Broncos
Walker’s connection to Brisbane will ensure the rumours never die about him one day donning the famous Broncos strip.
His father, Ben, played six seasons at the club in between stints in England, where Sam was born.
Walker went to Ipswich Grammar School and was on a path to play for the Broncos before the Roosters swooped and took him to Sydney as a teen.
His family is from Queensland and he is now the Maroons halfback, making the sunshine state his spiritual home.
Ben Hunt and Adam Reynolds will have left the Broncos. Getty
Brisbane is one of the biggest clubs in the NRL and Walker could join a star-studded squad with the likes of Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan, and Ezra Mam as the Red Hill organisation aims to get back on track following a disastrous 2026.
The retirement of Adam Reynolds and the looming end of Ben Hunt’s career puts a giant question mark over Brisbane’s No.7 jersey, with Tom Duffy and Jonah Pezet failing to make their mark in the NRL as of yet.
Bulldogs
The team crying out for a genuine halfback is Canterbury.
The aforementioned Galvin wore the No.7 jersey this year and had his best season in the NRL, but is viewed more as a five-eighth or ball-playing lock moving forward.
Putting an out-and-out halfback like Walker alongside Galvin could instantly make the Bulldogs a top-four contender.
Intriguingly, there is also speculation five-eighth turned centre Matt Burton may leave Belmore after next season, which would free up significant salary cap space.
Lachlan Galvin and Connor Tracey celebrate a Canterbury try. Getty Images
Dragons
The club we had to mention given St George Illawarra seems to be throwing money at all and sundry in a desperate effort to end their miserable form slump.
The Red V have already brought Kodi Nikorima and Luke Metcalfe onto the books for next season, and they are expected to be the halves.
But with recruitment boss Daniel Anderson going hard in the NRL player market, don’t be surprised if the Dragons enter the Walker conversations.
Titans
Gold Coast has gone all-in on young halfback Zane Harrison and the club hopes to make him its long-term No.7.
But reports say the Chiefs will come sniffing for Harrison and if they managed to lure him away from the glitter strip, the Titans will need a halfback.
Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui could be the key to those negotiations given his time in Maroons and Kangaroos camp with Walker.
