FWIW, here's what Walker has to say after getting the boot. It's possibly relevant to this thread:
“I’m not giving up. I will be back. I never wanted to get dropped, but I will work as hard as I possibly can to get a spot back in the team. I was a bit shocked, but it wasn’t the start to the season that I ideally wanted."
“Robbo’s basic advice for me is to go back to NSW Cup, get back to the way I play and show the form I did when I first came into grade. I haven’t been myself for a little while, but the last two weeks of Cup, I am trying to get back to playing the type of football that I know I can play. To be honest, I have lacked a bit at the start of the year and it’s been good to go back and work on my skills again without the pressure and the spotlight of the NRL."
"I definitely want to stay at the Roosters. The club has done a lot for me and I have been here for a few years. The Roosters is where I want to be and the talk about me leaving … there’s no chance. The Roosters gave me a great opportunity coming here and I am extremely grateful for that. I’ve played 50-odd NRL games now and it’s all thanks to the Roosters and the time and effort they have put into developing me as a player. I love it at this club. I’m contracted here, and my first goal is to be playing NRL for the Roosters again. I’ve never thought about leaving.”
“Look, Cooper has been awesome for me. He’s a legend of the game, he’s done it all, and he has been teaching me a lot about the Roosters and the way to manage a game. He has put a lot of time into not only myself, but all the halves coming through at the Roosters. I’m not the first young guy to be dropped. I’m only 20 and it’s a long year ahead. The challenge for me now is to play my best football and show Robbo I deserve to be picked again.”
“I feel I’ve got a good combination with Luke. We have played a fair bit of footy together and I think our games work well together. ‘Kez’ is a great player, he’s won premierships, and we spend a lot of time together at training working on our combinations. I’m not too fazed where I play really. I am capable of playing both six or seven so I don’t feel where I play affects my game. I’ve always been a team-first sort of guy and if Robbo wants me at six or seven, I’m pretty versatile like that."
“I am always looking to evolve my game. Ever since I came into grade, I’ve got my certain style and it’s important I keep that, but then I need to evolve other areas of my game and I feel I’m doing that in the NRL.”
“Obviously, I don’t want to be in reserve grade forever. I have to stay patient. I’m not too sure how long it will take to get back to the NRL, all I can do at the moment is play my best footy in NSW Cup and let the rest take care of itself. The Roosters wanted me to go back and enjoy myself and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m working on all my skills and hopefully I’m back in the NRL this season."
“At the end of the day, I’m only young, I’m 20 years old and I have a lot of learning to do. I’ll be fighting as hard as I can to get back in the team. There’s no issue with the Roosters, they have been awesome to me for a long time, as have the guys in the playing group. It’s my plan to get back in the NRL team as quickly as possible and I’m doing whatever I can to make that happen.”