Former Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC star Jack Walker has been plying his trade at Hull KR and Bradford Bulls in 2023 but it seems he will be headed for pastures new in 2024.
The fullback has had an injury hit career which has stopped him from reaching the levels he really should have.
He has done a terrific job filling in at Hull KR after Lachlan Coote’s premature retirement.
However, he won’t be staying at the club. This was confirmed by Willie Peters who said: “Unfortunately we can’t have, well Jack (Walker) won’t be with our squad next year because it was always a short term deal.
“There were some early decisions made, Jack was aware of that so what we wanted to give Jack was an opportunity and I think it was a win-win. We’re bringing in a player that’s won a grand final and got to the heights he did at Leeds.
“Again, talking about injuries, he’s one that’s had his fair share of injuries; but what Jack needed to do was get his body right, and we’ve certainly helped him with that, and also get on the field which he is now.
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“We’ve never, and we’ll never question Jack’s class. I think Jack’s putting himself out there and there’s no doubt, I believe, he’s a super league player and I think there’s some clubs out there that should be looking at him because he’s certainly a good player and we hopefully can see the best of him towards the back end of the year.
“But as I say, some decisions were made early and Jack knew where he stood and we’re both comfortable, we both agreed that it was going to be a short term deal and we’re seeing the best of Jack Walker now and hopefully will for the next sort of five or six weeks hopefully.”
He would implore rival clubs to take a chance on him however:
“I think at the start when he first came back there’s no doubt, I mean when we first trained here you could see that he wasn’t overly confident in his body, then he had to go in and play in the demands of Super League which, no disrespect, but it is faster than the Championship and the training loads are higher.
“He was training at a certain load and a certain intensity, and games were at a certain speed, and then he’s had to come to Super League and play at a higher intensity with training and games, so there was a little bit of a concern there from our medical team; so what we have to do is build him up.
“What we’ve done and it’s a credit to Jack he’s done the hard work and the credit to my staff as well the medical staff that have worked with him to get Jack in the condition that he’s in now. He’s playing fullback and I don’t want him to think about anything other than just doing his job and doing the best he can be, because that’s got to be behind him, although he needs to keep working hard on his body because hamstrings and soft tissues and things like that always hang around if you don’t work hard to stay on top of it.
“But certainly he’s going to be a player for the future and I hope Super League club, they will get a handy pick up if they get Jack Walker.”
But where could he end up next?
Hull FC
A club Walker has previously played for. With Jake Clifford, Ben McNamara and Jamie Shaul all confirmed as leaving or potentially leaving the club a fullback like Walker would be a smart signing. According to reports from the Hull Daily Mail, this is where he will end
Leeds Rhinos
Back home for Walker? The Rhinos wouldn’t necessarily need Walker with Lachie Miller but there is always a chance they could move for a homegrown player given the salary cap advantages it gives them.
Castleford Tigers
Castleford have signed a lot of Walker’s former Leeds teammates of similar age and could use Walker as part of their determination to lower the average age of the squad.
Featherstone Rovers
A club determined to get promoted to Super League, bringing in a former Super League Champion like Walker would be a big name to help their hopes of making a real statement.
Salford Red Devils
We have seen how important Ryan Brierley is to Salford but there doesn’t seem to be much cover so signing Walker would be a smart move.