The PNG Chiefs have turned to Sam Walker as a halfback option after missing out on Nathan Cleary, with coach Willie Peters confirming interest and Walker’s manager saying Papua New Guinea is on the table for 2028.
According to Zero Tackle, citing The Daily Telegraph, Peters said Walker is someone the expansion club would look at after Cleary rejected a reported $8.4 million package to stay at Penrith.
“Yes, he is someone we would look at,” Peters told The Daily Telegraph on Friday. “If Sam is keen and sees us as a club he wants to play for, and he believes the players around him can help his game and the staff can help his game, I would certainly like Sam Walker as a player, that’s for sure.”
Read more: Nathan Cleary Tells PNG Chiefs He Will Stay at Penrith, Reports Say
Manager: PNG an option for 2028
Walker’s manager, Clinton Schifcofske, confirmed mutual interest to the same newspaper, Zero Tackle reported, while stressing no decision has been made beyond the Roosters halfback’s current focus on the Rugby League World Cup.
“Yes, PNG is an option,” Schifcofske said. “Sam hasn’t made a decision on what he wants to do. That (playing for the Chiefs) would be for 2028, too; obviously, he wouldn’t be able to go to PNG next year unless he was at the PNG Hunters. He’s got one more year on his contract. Sam is focused on the World Cup with Australia, and then he needs to see what the future holds for him.”
The Chiefs do not enter the NRL until 2028. Zero Tackle noted Walker is contracted at the Sydney Roosters through 2027 and could only join earlier if a release is negotiated — with another club needing to cover him in 2027 if that path opened.
Peters wants the “right” halfback
Peters framed the hunt around culture as much as talent, saying the Chiefs want players who buy into the PNG project.
“But I have always said that we’re looking at players who want to come over and play in PNG for the right reasons,” he said. “We want players that want to be here, that are coming over and see the vision of what we (PNG’s football staff) see at the moment. We want to put a strong team together, and the halfback is the key role; there’s no doubt about that. We want to make sure we get the right halfback.”
“We are putting together a good squad which I believe is going to be really competitive in that first year, so whoever comes and plays halfback will be in a competitive team. I have watched Sam closely from his debut game, and he is certainly a very good player.”
News Corp outlets also reported on Friday that an experienced halfback is expected to travel to Port Moresby as the Chiefs close in on another signing, separate from the Walker talks.
Walker has not featured for the Kangaroos since his Roosters contract talks collapsed and sits behind Tom Dearden, Cameron Munster and Ethan Strange in the halves mix for Sunday’s World Cup semi-final against Samoa at Allianz Stadium, Zero Tackle reported.
Read more: Kangaroos Team: Walsh Keeps No.1, Mitchell Recalled for Samoa Semi
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