Sam Walker is not a Million dollar Player

[Fishwa]

Sticking with Sam Walker? Is that even a question?

A bit shocking Chook Penners would ask it.

Elite halves these days come along once in a blue moon. Walker has definitely shown enough for a $1 mill + per year contract, and once he hits his prime he will be better than the likes of Cherry Evans.

Who else would you go for?

Hunt? LOL. Fantastic player, but with Townsend coming are you actually suggesting two ring-in's in the halves next year both on one year deals? Insanity, and it won't happen.
Moses? Talented, but divisive and inconsistent + brings the Issac Moses circus with him. Not available for 3 years anyhow.
Hynes? Signed at the Sharks for 5 more years
Cleary? Will be a Panther till he dies or the old man quits, which is years away
Reynolds? He is done - held together with sticky tape at this point.
Hughes? Will be at the Storm 4 more years

Now beyond that, have you considered which other high quality halves there are floating about? I'm telling you right now, the answer is there aren't any.

The NRL community would laugh their assess off - and rightfully so - if the question of not resigning Walker was even casually raised by our club.

Thankfully it won't happen and he'll stay. I think our club will match anything else another club will table, within reason.

Yeah - this is exactly my point. there are no quality halves and we are essentially losing our 2 top shelf halves for next season. So need someone short term

Of the list above, none are going anywhere soon or would consider a 1-year move - except possibly Hunt. Townsend was not signed on the money (or dare say the intention) to be a starting NRL half next year - he is the back up. So hence you throw what you can at Hunt for 1 year, and your halves are Hunt-Sandon Smith. Townsend remains the first back up

Suppose the question is - the money we have in the cap from all this years departures, we have the ability to attract a top line player (plus obvious upgrades). So where does that money fall? i think having a real crack at a top line half, considering Sams injury, might at least be the most beneficial for 2025

[OMR]

Depending on future TV deals and salary cap increases, I can see the roosters offering around the $1.1 mill for two years increasing to around the $1.25-4 mill from 2028 onwards .
BTW I am in total favour of keeping him, we’d be crazy to let him go without trying very hard to re-sign him.

[Arties Pie]

It was reported that his management are asking 1.5 Million a season….Lol, the club will turn into Parramatta if they go down that route…

[Funky Chicken]

Yeah - this is exactly my point. there are no quality halves and we are essentially losing our 2 top shelf halves for next season. So need someone short term

Of the list above, none are going anywhere soon or would consider a 1-year move - except possibly Hunt. Townsend was not signed on the money (or dare say the intention) to be a starting NRL half next year - he is the back up. So hence you throw what you can at Hunt for 1 year, and your halves are Hunt-Sandon Smith. Townsend remains the first back up

Suppose the question is - the money we have in the cap from all this years departures, we have the ability to attract a top line player (plus obvious upgrades). So where does that money fall? i think having a real crack at a top line half, considering Sams injury, might at least be the most beneficial for 2025

Have you seen Hunt play this year? In most games he has made Chad Townsend look good, taking wrong options, kicks out on the full, blowing up at team mates...it would dead set be like Braith Anasta MkII.

[bondi paul]

All the frenzy what he is worth and what he will be paid is no interest to me. I don’t get suckered by the media bs. What Sammy is paid is none of my business.

[The Real King]

It’s terrible news for Sam, ACL's are a devastating injury.

His manager Clinton Schifcofske has done him no favours disrespecting Nick and the Roosters. The Roosters offered a more than fair contract, yet somehow this fool believed he could out-smart Nick.
Schifcofske is the new Isaac Moses. Bad luck Clinton, you rolled the dice and lost. You will have to take what you are given. Roosters can just hold their ground now.

[ism22]

IMO now's a good time to throw the chequebook at him and say 'we're not gonna lowball you because of the injury, but we need your loyalty in return'.

Lock him in! Be genuine and don't try to short-change him because of the injury. Pull out the brown bag payment and make him part of the family.

[caz]

yeah, i'd say 'sam, you're the man. we want you to be a rooster for life. here's something approaching 6m if you sign for an additional 5 years'

[QWERTY]

In the DT today:

CHOOKS CLOSE IN ON SAM

Injured Roosters playmaker Sam Walker is buying a home in Sydney in the strongest sign yet he is committing to a long-term future at Bondi.

Sport Confidential can reveal Walker is finalising a multimillion-dollar property transaction, evidence he is happily settled in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and has no plan to quit the Roosters.

Walker has been linked with a possible return to the Broncos but the Roosters are in the advanced stages of a $3 million-plus extension for the 22-year-old halfback sensation.

Walker snapped his ACL against the Raiders a fortnight ago and while he faces nine months on the sidelines, the Roosters are happy to sign off on a new deal for the young gun, who is off-contract next year.

The Queensland Origin hopeful is a free agent from November 1 but the Roosters insist Walker is going nowhere and will secure him until at least 2027 or 2028.

Reports suggested Walker was seeking $1.5 million a season but that figure has come down dramatically and the Ipswich product will stay at Bondi for around $1 million a season.

[A Country Member]

Even if Brisbane tabled an offer, why would he go there with such uncertainty about the coach?
For all of Trents detractors, his stability in the role would be reassuring to any potential player signing.

[Rooster_6]

Even if Brisbane tabled an offer, why would he go there with such uncertainty about the coach?
For all of Trents detractors, his stability in the role would be reassuring to any potential player signing.

NRL 360 genuinely generate content out of hypotheticals and package them as “reports”. I wouldn’t believe anything that comes out of that show.

[Chook2]

Great news let’s hope we keep him
walker and sandon could go far
then with Elliot, rodwell and foley coming through

[King Salvo]

All the frenzy what he is worth and what he will be paid is no interest to me. I don’t get suckered by the media bs. What Sammy is paid is none of my business.

Yeh stick to what's happening in the city and down in the tube station at midnight - because that's entertainment

[caz]

3 years for 3m sounds win/win

[A Country Member]

NRL 360 genuinely generate content out of hypotheticals and package them as “reports”. I wouldn’t believe anything that comes out of that show.

I don’t watch 360. Was more talking about his detractors here on the Pen.