SYDNEY ROOSTERS half Sam Walker says he came off early in the preliminary final win over the Dolphins when “everything started to get a bit tight” at the site of his syndesmosis surgery.
The 24-year-old’s return after an ankle operation during a one-month spell on the sidelines was considered something of a miracle in the 36-20 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
But he eschewed goalkicking in the second half and was replaced by Hugo Savala with 13 minutes left.
He told ABC Radio: “I wanted to play 80 but I probably got in a position where I didn’t want to risk it and everything started to get a bit tight.”
Walker finished the evening heavily iced but did his best to allay any concerns about his fitness for next Sunday’s grand final against Penrith or Newcastle.
“Yeah it’s alright,” Walker said on Triple M.
“It’s just the left side, it’s had a fair workout the last month with the ankle. Everything’s pretty tight on that side. It’s just more to make sure it’s OK. It’s more precautionary. I feel good and I’ll definitely feel 100 percent on Sunday next week.
“The medical staff at the Roosters have been really good to me and they’re the best in the competition for a reason and they’ve allowed me to get into the position where I can get back as fast as I can.”
Bsck on ABC he added: “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been a hard month for me and I’m really proud of the boys for digging deep and it’s hard to put into words. But we know we’ve got one more to go and we won’t be celebrating anything at the moment.
“We’re just making sure it (the injury) stays OK. We’ve got a long time, we’ve got nine days now. I”m gonna feel a million bucks.
“I feel good and I’m looking forward to next week.
“There were times I probably didn’t feel I’d be back for this game but I kept working really hard and believed.”
