Roosters coach Trent Robinson dropped a bombshell on the NRL world by axing young halfback Sam Walker — however, he “had no choice”.
That is according to The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley who believes that Luke Keary and Sam Walker’s playing styles are too similar as the Tricolours sit 3-3 after seven rounds.
Joey Manu, who won the World Cup golden boot as player of the tournament, will replace him at five-eighth despite playing the majority of his NRL career in the centres.
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“I don’t think the club had any option but to put Joey Manu at six, if you watch that game against the Sharks the other night and the way the two Roosters halves play so similar,” Crawley said on NRL360 on Tuesday night.
“And Keary was clearly the in-form player of the two…. and then you’ve got a guy, a golden boot winner from last year who was so exceptional for the Kiwis at the World Cup.
“They had no choice, it had to be done.”
But, Crawley added: “for Sam Walker… it’s not the end for him.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read also believes he “will be back sooner rather than later” with the Roosters handing him a two-year extension reportedly worth $1 million in December 2022.
However, some glaring stats may see the 20-year-old halfback bide his time in reserve grade for an extended period.
Walker makes the second most errors per game than any current halfback (1.7), while only three halfbacks have less try assists in 2023.
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He also has an average of one try contribution per game, with only Jamal Fogarty (0.67), Tanah Boyd (0.5) and Kyle Flanagan (0.4) having less.
While Read believes it won’t be long before the young is back in the NRL, Crawley believes if Manu delivers then Walker could be kept out of the team for the rest of the season.
“He’s obviously a quality footballer and you don’t invest that much money into a kid that age unless you think he is going to be a good player down the track, he’s a good player now, it’s just not working for him at the moment,” Read said.
“He’s obviously got some deficiencies in his game, he’s struggled defensively for a while now.”
“I’m not so sure about that, it’s either him or Luke Keary if Manu goes to six and he succeeds like you think he will, then it becomes a shootout between Keary and Walker for that jumper,” Crawley said.
“Long term, obviously Sam will get there… at another club this might not happen, but the fact you have Manu sitting there in the centres.”
NRL360 co-host Paul Kent also highlighted the similarities between Keary and Walker.
As per NRL.com, there is only a five centimetre height difference between the pair and a similar weight margin.
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They also both play a ‘heads up’ style that didn’t “combine” successfully at the start of the 2023 season according to NRL360 host Braith Anasta.
“Keary and Walker play so similarly, you need a point of difference, the problems they cause you, they are similar,” Kent said.
“They are similar body shapes, similar speeds, there are so many similarities there that if you prepare for one you prepare for both.”
“I think Walker is a 10-year NRL player, they play similar styles, similar builds and sometimes those combinations, they don’t combine,” Anasta said.
“I think it (Keary and Manu) poses a bigger threat.”
Kent also believes picking a player of Manu’s quality in the halves will almost certainly be a success.
However, the longer he spends in the position the more opposition coaches and teams will be able to study his game and prepare for his attacking prowess.
“They are starting to struggle a little bit the Roosters, they aren’t dominating games and they are looking for the wins,” Kent said.
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“They don’t want to let teams get away from them… they usually win more games too.
“He’s going to be a different threat to what’s there at the moment, he’s a big body, he’s a runner… Golden Boot winner, so it is hard to go wrong.
“For all his talents, we still don’t know a lot about Manu as a five-eighth, what kind of five-eighth and how effective he is going to be from week to week.
“We’ve obviously seen at different times he has been highly effective, but when he does go there it is at a time when the defence has been prepared for someone else.
“He becomes a bit of a surprise package, but if he is going to be there week after week, they are going to see how he reacts in situations and that’s when the defence will try and shut him down.”
Walker will now ply his trade in the Roosters’ NSW Cup team in a big test of his resolve.
“It’s a big test of his character now, we will see what he is made of because it is the first time that this has happened,” Read said.
“Not many players go through their career without being dropped at some point.”
“It is his first little test of resilience, I think the world of him and I think he will bounce back,” Anasta said.