Sam Walker’s Roosters comeback shows new maturity ahead of Dogs clash

At 23, he’s reached the sweet spot.

When all the education and information pushed into you upon entering the NRL suddenly makes sense.

For young playmakers, being taught structure feels like you’re being fitted for a straight jacket, particularly young footballers like Sam, who’ve had a ball in their hands and boots on their feet before leaving nappies.

Those games in the backyard, the schoolyard, behind the grandstand, down at the park right on dark, develop instinct and the more you play the stronger and more accurate those instincts become.

These type of young footballers sense opportunity more than recognise it. They call the ball because their gut tells them there’s something on, rather than counting defensive numbers.

Scouts clamour to sign these footballers and, if the youngster selects the right club, they’ll be taught how to be an elite playmaker.

TESTING THE PLAYMAKERS PATIENCE

Organising an attack, setting up sequences, finding the right kick at the right time, recognising target defenders, a better way to pass, playing short sides, long sides and so on.

It’s disorientating, confusing, bamboozling and all the other “ings”.

In the short term it can have a negative impact on their game, and in most cases, the better and more thorough the rugby league education, the longer the information takes to process.

It’s a huge test of a player’s patience.

There’s so many stories of talented young halfbacks from the bush quitting and returning home, confidence shattered.

You need to go backwards and be patient to go forwards.

The iconic Michael Jordan has spoke often of how lucky he was, at two points of his career, to get the education he needed to become the bloke on the Wheaties box.

When entering college at North Carolina, Jordan was coached and mentored by the legendary Dean Smith.

Smith frustrated a young Jordan by the tactics he employed, a cerebral style of basketball.

The joke was “who’s the only person in college basketball who can stop Michael Jordan scoring 32 points?”

“Dean Smith.”

Jordan would recognise how these tactics made him a smarter, more complete player.

Then at the Chicago Bulls it was education 2.0.

In his early years at the Bulls, although Jordan would set scoring records, the team constantly struggled.

Enter Tex Winter, a basketball innovator who came up with the complex “triangle offence”.

As assistant to coach Phil Jackson, Winter implemented this system at Chicago, which was based more around passing than athleticism, team rather than individual.

Initially, Jordan resisted as his impact and scoring numbers reduced.

But then it all clicked, Jordan became much more than just a scorer and the team one of the greatest in sports history.

WALKER NEEDED A TIME OUT

Walker may look on his ACL injury as a blessing.

The year out of the game, without the week-to-week pressure of playing, has allowed him to process and understand all the information he’s been saturated with over the past few years.

That sweet spot is connecting all the information you’ve been taught with all the natural instincts you’ve developed as a youngster.

I see his football education in the way he now recognises numbers and understands the defender he has to attract to create advantage.

And I see his attacking instincts in chaotic broken play, when he has possession and there’s a dozen moving parts flying around him. He holds his nerve, buys time, waits, waits and finally finds the perfect play.

And his short kicking is another great representation of his unique instincts.

I haven’t seen a playmaker be able to make such late decisions with his short kicks and continually get them right.

His halves partner, Hugo Savala, deserves mention too.

Savala has improved dramatically from the early season, his ball playing and kicking have been a feature of the Roosters’ emergence.

On Friday night, the pair take on Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin.

Burton is at a very similar point in his career as Walker.

Last year, Burton wrestled with the five-eighth jersey, battling between his natural instincts to run the football and the requirements of organising a set.

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But in the back half of this season, he’s been fabulous, merging all aspects of requirement and instinct.

This is a huge game for both teams. Canterbury have a difficult run to the finals and need a win here to keep pressing for an important top two spot.

For the Roosters it’s about forcing themselves into the top eight and I suspect, given their recent form and growing confidence, most of the top teams would like to see them on holidays in September.

Originally published as Sam Walker’s Roosters comeback shows new maturity ahead of Dogs clash