Hit the brakes: Walker waiting to season’s end to talk to Rabbitohs, NRL suitors

Cody Walker has pumped the breaks on contract negotiations with the South Sydney Rabbitohs as the 2022 NRL finals loom on the horizon, asking the Bunnies managers and any other suitors for his signature to “hold fire” until the cardinal and myrtle outfit has played out every single one of their do-or-die playoffs games.

The Rabbitohs half is coming off contract at the same time as Latrell Mitchell and Damian Cook and has been deep in talks with the club to re-sign for a further year.

He recently inked a one-year extension to stay in South Sydney for at least 2023.

The Sporting Base has heard Walker is all but confirmed to be staying with the Rabbitohs into the 2024 NRL season too and will continue to play a mentoring role for Lachlan Ilias, who also just extended his deal. One sticking point for Walker and his agents is the fact the NRL is increasing its salary cap, meaning the five-eighth wants to be very careful about his value.

No other clubs have publicly joined the race to pick up the 32-year-old, especially after he declared he wants to finish his career at Redfern, but the veteran has still fielded several phone calls.

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Both Mitchell and Walker have been linked to reunions with old Bunnies boss Wayne Bennett, who is helming the NRL’s seventeenth team the Redcliffe Dolphins from next season, but their preferences appear to be to keep the South Sydney cohort together–as best they can–and keep their premiership window open.

And, on top of that, Walker isn’t thinking about the nitty gritty details at all this week; hence why he’s closed negotiations with the Rabbitohs until the team’s season is over–one way or another.

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First up, Souths face a mega-rivalry clash against the Roosters in finals week one.

“I’m not in a state at the moment to be worrying about that [contract] sort of stuff until there’s no more footy games,” Walker told NRL media on Wednesday.

“My full focus and all of my energy is going into this weekend’s game.

“We’re in a spot where it’s do or die. Anything could happen. I’m not even thinking about [contracts].”

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