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Corey Parker explains why new Rooster Sam Walker is so special that they’ve taken him to Europe
ROOSTERS
As the Spanish sun beams down on their training session, a star-studded squad that includes the likes of Boyd Cordner, James Tedesco and Luke Keary is put through their paces.
But in and among big brute forwards like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and the towering Daniel Tupou, is a slight, whispy kid.
You squint twice and say, who the hell is that?
Sam Walker looks the part!
The answer is Sam Walker.
He might look like a ballboy in comparison to Angus Crichton and Victor Radley as he goes through a drill, but Walker, according to those who have seen him up close, say he’s the real deal.
And in a year or so’s time, he ain’t going to be running the water.
You’ll have heard about Walker.
He’s the son of Ben, nephew of Chris and Shane, and he’s been tipped to become “The Next Cooper Cronk”.
While there’s something slightly premature about lumping lofy expectations on the shoulder of a youngster barely of drinking age, the fact the Roosters have flown him to Spain before a training session with the Catalans Dragons and then onto St Helens for a shot at back-to-back world titles, shows just how highly they rate him.
Corey Parker, who was part of the Queensland Origin Under-18’s team last year when Walker was 16 and playing a year up, was partciruarly impressed with what he saw.
“For a 16-year-old kid, his footy is pretty remarkable and he’s obviously from good stock,” Parker told foxsports.com.au.
“He was really mature and what I found that really struck me, was his approach to the game and his preparation.
“I had 10 or so days with him in that camp and kept an eye on him and that really struck me.
“Considering then he was only 16, he was incredibly level-headed and had a great footy nous, that was pretty high.”
Sounds like Cronk, right?
Sure, but Parker says while his talent is obvious, Walker remains a teenager with a lot of learning to do.
Trent Robinson is a hoover for details, specifics, minutae.
And, from what Parker’s seen so far, there is a lot that Robinson will like.
“He’s still only 17 but some of the questions he asked, and the leadership he showed in team meetings struck me,” Parker explained.
“They were questions you didn’t expect from a kid of that age. Stuff like defensive reads, who’s defending where, and things as small as four defenders turning in which is only relevant when you watch the footy. “It’s not the sort of thing you expect from a 16-year-old.
“On the flipside when he plays, he does it with a great tempo which you need in that position.
“Mentally he’s fine that’s a real strong suit.
“He’s still growing [physically] and I’ll imagine he’ll put on a few kilos.
“They’ve got big plans for him [the Roosters], and they have put a lot of time and energy into him.
“The Roosters don’t generally do that unless they see you’ve got a big future.
“Physically that will be the biggest test for him, but the fact that the Roosters have taken him to France and shown him what it’s like [at the top], that goes to show where they think he’s at.”
ROOSTERS
- February 17, 2020 3:03pm
- by GEORGE CLARKE
- Source: FOX SPORTS
As the Spanish sun beams down on their training session, a star-studded squad that includes the likes of Boyd Cordner, James Tedesco and Luke Keary is put through their paces.
But in and among big brute forwards like Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and the towering Daniel Tupou, is a slight, whispy kid.
You squint twice and say, who the hell is that?
Sam Walker looks the part!
The answer is Sam Walker.
He might look like a ballboy in comparison to Angus Crichton and Victor Radley as he goes through a drill, but Walker, according to those who have seen him up close, say he’s the real deal.
And in a year or so’s time, he ain’t going to be running the water.
You’ll have heard about Walker.
He’s the son of Ben, nephew of Chris and Shane, and he’s been tipped to become “The Next Cooper Cronk”.
While there’s something slightly premature about lumping lofy expectations on the shoulder of a youngster barely of drinking age, the fact the Roosters have flown him to Spain before a training session with the Catalans Dragons and then onto St Helens for a shot at back-to-back world titles, shows just how highly they rate him.
Corey Parker, who was part of the Queensland Origin Under-18’s team last year when Walker was 16 and playing a year up, was partciruarly impressed with what he saw.
“For a 16-year-old kid, his footy is pretty remarkable and he’s obviously from good stock,” Parker told foxsports.com.au.
“He was really mature and what I found that really struck me, was his approach to the game and his preparation.
“I had 10 or so days with him in that camp and kept an eye on him and that really struck me.
“Considering then he was only 16, he was incredibly level-headed and had a great footy nous, that was pretty high.”
Sounds like Cronk, right?
Sure, but Parker says while his talent is obvious, Walker remains a teenager with a lot of learning to do.
Trent Robinson is a hoover for details, specifics, minutae.
And, from what Parker’s seen so far, there is a lot that Robinson will like.
“He’s still only 17 but some of the questions he asked, and the leadership he showed in team meetings struck me,” Parker explained.
“They were questions you didn’t expect from a kid of that age. Stuff like defensive reads, who’s defending where, and things as small as four defenders turning in which is only relevant when you watch the footy. “It’s not the sort of thing you expect from a 16-year-old.
“On the flipside when he plays, he does it with a great tempo which you need in that position.
“Mentally he’s fine that’s a real strong suit.
“He’s still growing [physically] and I’ll imagine he’ll put on a few kilos.
“They’ve got big plans for him [the Roosters], and they have put a lot of time and energy into him.
“The Roosters don’t generally do that unless they see you’ve got a big future.
“Physically that will be the biggest test for him, but the fact that the Roosters have taken him to France and shown him what it’s like [at the top], that goes to show where they think he’s at.”
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