Sam Walker edged a step closer to a miraculous comeback at Sydney Roosters training on Monday as more than 4000 fans watched the Dolphins prepare for their first preliminary final.
There were fantastic scenes on both sides of the border in the countdown to Fridayโs first grand final qualifier, which is on track to be a sellout at Suncorp Stadium.
Walker suffered a syndesmosis injury against the Dolphins in round 26 โ just 23 days ago โ but told teammates less than a week after undergoing surgery he would be back for a preliminary final, provided his teammates kept up their end of the bargain and the Roostersโ season was still alive.
Hugo Savala slotted into his preferred halves position alongside Daly Cherry-Evans in Walkerโs absence, and is likely to revert to left centre for Fridayโs preliminary final, opposite NSW Origin representative Jack Bostock.
Walker, 24, was all smiles as he joined his teammates on the field on a cloudy and blustery afternoon at Allianz Stadium. Savala was one of the first to greet Walker.
Veterans Cherry-Evans and James Tedesco were given the session off, while Angus Crichton was also not required to take part after his successful return from a foot injury on the weekend.
Should Walker play, it will mean the Roosters head north with a fully fit squad. The Dolphins, remarkably, are also at full strength with Tom Flegler available after using the weekend off to recover from a concussion.
Teammates were confident livewire playmaker Walker would be on deck for the clash that features two teams with no shortage of X-factor, including Mark Nawaqanitawase and Dolphinsโ duo Herbie Farnworth and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
โYouโd rather know straight away if he is [playing], and I think we will,โ forward Victor Radley said of Walkerโs return.
โWhen Sammy walked in here, when I saw him about four days after he did it, he told us heโd play in this game. He hasnโt shied away from it.
โHe trained against us on Thursday last week, and he was all I could see โ he just kept picking us apart.
โIn fairness, he was in a pink [rehab] bib, but as the session went on, a few of us were like, โAre we allowed hit this bloke?โ He was putting on a clinic. He was moving well.โ
Radley suffered a syndesmosis injury in 2022, missed six weeks and said the main difficulty was slowing down, rather than accelerating or stepping.
Savala said he was happy to revert to the centres โ or anywhere else the club needed him โ if Queensland Origin star Walker was fit.
Savala trained in various positions during the off-season, including centre, dummy half and lock, which gives coach Trent Robinson plenty of options. Before this year, Savala said he had never played a minute of football in the centres.
โIโll be ready to go in whatever position Iโm in,โ he said.
โIโve loved being back playing in my preferred position. I know we didnโt get the win against Penrith [in the qualifying final], but it was a good stepping stone, and we went out against the Sharkies and showed what we can do together.
โThe way he [Cherry-Evans] communicates and how clear he is, he puts everyone on the same page.
โHe also gives players confidence to back themselves and to express themselves.
โWeโll get some clarity [on where I play] after the next couple of training sessions.โ
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