Roosters NRL star Sam Walker slams reports club wants to axe him as classy gesture is revealed

Sydney Roosters star Sam Walker has dismissed reports the club want to get rid of him, insisting he aims to return from injury ‘bigger and better’ than ever.

The 20-year-old playmaker is nursing a strained anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which made him no chance of making the Tricolours’ side for their 48-4 thrashing at the hands of Penrith on Friday night.

However, any fans who were worried about Walker’s passion for the club waning in the face of his demotion would have been impressed with his gesture after the heavy loss to the Panthers.

The halfback helped clean up the Roosters’ dressing room after the match, despite the fact he’s still in a knee brace, NRL pundit Phil Rothfield told the Big Sports Breakfast radio program.   

Walker is off contract at the end of the 2025 season, but insisted he has no plans to leave Bondi Beach and rubbished rumours the club were planning to offload him.

‘I’m locked into the Roosters – I want to come back bigger and better than before,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘I’ll keep playing reserve grade as long as it takes. It’s a long season, I’ll try to get back into some form so it almost becomes a case where I pick myself.

The 20-year-old is currently nursing a strained ACL on his left knee but is planning to return to action ‘bigger and better than before’

He couldn’t play in the Roosters’ shocking capitulation to Penrith on Friday night (pictured), but the young half volunteered to help clean up their dressing room afterwards

‘There have been plenty of rumours. The best one was me meeting [Dolphins coach] Wayne [Bennett]. I can tell you I’m not going anywhere.’

Walker was in Queensland on the weekend in question to watch his brother, Jackson, play in a national touch football competition.

That was enough to spark a rumour suggesting he had met Bennett, a report which the Roosters gun described as ‘rubbish’.

If it weren’t for his injury, Walker would be a near certainty to be picked in the club’s first-grade side to cover for Joey Manu, who limped off against Penrith with an ankle injury and is in doubt to face the Dragons on Friday night.

Should he be unavailable, Drew Hutchinson is expected to make his way into the halves.