
Sheffield Eagles head coach Craig Lingard has revealed how the contract of former Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos man Jack Walker is structured whilst confirming the player’s intent to return to Super League.
Jack Walker signed with the Eagles in January having been released from his playing contract at Hull FC in November despite having a year left on his deal. Walker was released alongside Morgan Smith and Liam Tindall, the former who he now calls a teammate at Sheffield.
Recently Walker confirmed he had knocked back an opportunity to play Down Under with the 25-year-old full-back instead looking for a Super League opportunity, however, he opted to sign for the Eagles but their head coach Craig Lingard has reaffirmed the player’s Super League aspirations.
Lingard has spoken to the media about the playmaker when previewing Friday night’s Challenge Cup tie against Wigan Warriors, a game that Walker will play in.
“Jack Walker will drop into that full-back position that will be vacated by Matty Marsh now,” Lingard explained with Marsh missing the game due to injury.
Having defeated West Bowling in Round Two, Friday night will serve as a huge test for the 1998 Challenge Cup champions as they aim to dethrone the current holders.
Jack Walker contract details revealed with Super League ambitions clear

Credit: Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Marsh’s absence will give Walker a chance to show his Super League pedigree against the Super League champions, who he bagged a try against last year when Hull FC caused a huge upset.
Craig Lingard will be hoping that Walker can inspire an upset again this week with the former Cas boss admitting that he did not realise just how good Jack Walker was.
He said: “I didn’t realise how good Jack was until I’d seen him in training. I knew he was a good player, but actually seeing him first-hand and seeing what he can do in training, I didn’t realise how good he was.
“His ultimate goal is to get back into the Super League and if we can help him get there, that’s brilliant for us because if he does get back into the Super League, it means he’s playing well for us. I think if Jack Walker is playing well for us, it means Sheffield are playing well.”
One factor that could help Jack Walker earn a Super League deal is the fact that he has not committed his future to Sheffield Eagles, instead signing a monthly rolling contract.
Lingard revealed: “He’s on a monthly rolling contract, yeah so it gives him the opportunity if a Super League club comes in then he’s not tied to the club.
“It helps us as well because we get a quality player in for financially not as much as we would have to pay him anyway because of the terms of the contract.”
Of course, it could mean that the full-back is plucked away from the Eagles during a season in which they aim to contest for silverware but it’s a risk worth taking according to Lingard.
He said: “That’s the nature of the decisions that you make. If we didn’t want that to happen, then we wouldn’t have gone through with the deal in the first place.
“We weighed everything up and we thought the pros far outweighed the cons in bringing him in for however long that might be.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be a considerable period for us but if it’s not, it’s because he’s playing well and if he’s playing well, like I said earlier, then Sheffield will be playing well and probably winning games.”
