Sydney Roosters halfback Sam Walker has rubbished claims he met with Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett, stressing his commitment to the Bondi club as he looks to return from injury.
Walker is currently sidelined with a sprained ACL, a setback that will keep the young playmaker on the sidelines for the coming weeks as Trent Robinson braces for a selection headache among his halves.
Versatile star Joey Manu had made the shift into the halves in place of Walker, who was demoted from Robinson's side after Round 7 in a move to find back some form at the lower level.
Manu has since suffered an ankle injury in Friday's loss to Penrith and is awaiting the results of scans, with Robinson likely to have looked toward Walker for a reprieve next weekend.
The 20-year-old won't be available for selection for some time however, with Walker revealing to The Sydney Morning Herald that a fresh knee injury has delayed his potential return to the NRL.
The prolonged absence from Robinson's plans raised eyebrows across the league's landscape, with speculation that Walker was unsettled at the Roosters gaining traction.
Earlier this week, the Leeds-born halfback was murmured to have met with Bennett over a potential move to Redcliffe, a report Walker was happy to shut down.
The young Queenslander stated "I'm not going anywhere" as he refuted the "rubbish" report.
"It must have been some other white scrawny kid meeting with Wayne because it certainly wasn't me, that was rubbish," Walker said.
"... I'm locked into the Roosters โ I want to come back bigger and better than before.
"I'll keep playing reserve grade as long as it takes. It's a long season, I'll try to get back into some form so it almost becomes a case where I pick myself.
"There have been plenty of rumours. The best one was me meeting Wayne. I can tell you I'm not going anywhere."
The Roosters have slid to 10th on the ladder following their 44-point loss to the Panthers, with concerns surrounding Robinson's side rising with each passing week.
The Chooks are likely to call on Drew Hutchison in place of Manu for their Round 12 clash with the Dragons, with Walker hopeful of returning after the Roosters' Round 13 bye.
"I don't need surgery, but I'll be in a brace for at least the next week. I should be good to go the week after the bye," Walker toldย The Sydney Morning Herald.ย
"But I'm glad I found out about the sprain now before I went out and kept playing and risked doing something more severe."
Walker is contracted with the Roosters until the end of the 2025 season after re-signing at the end of 2022 with a two-year extension.
