Sydney Roosters halfback Sam Walker has set the stage for an explosive battle with former junior teammate Ezra Mam in his return to Brisbane.
The 21-year-old has quickly turned his focus to next Friday's showdown with the Broncos after leading the Roosters to a record-breaking victory over St George Illawarra in the ANZAC Day clash.
Walker played his junior football in Queensland and progressed through the Broncos' pathway before joining the Roosters ahead of the 2020 season.
Brisbane, however, will always be home and the halfback is already excited by the prospect of playing against his former teammates.
"Me and Ezra played a lot of footy together," he said. "We were both in Ipswich, he was my back rower at Wests Under-15's. I was 15, he was a year younger and was 14.
"I love playing with Ezzy, he's a legend. I played with most of those [Broncos] boys, the whole edge on that side, [Brendan Piakura], was my backrower growing up in most of the rep teams I played in. [Selwyn Cobbo] was there as well, then me and [Reece Walsh] have played heaps of footy together. It's like playing against South Coast again."
Dragons v Roosters – Round 8, 2024
Mam and Cobbo will miss Brisbane's clash with the Wests Tigers on Saturday, however they are both expected back for the Roosters match.
Next week's game will be the second time the clubs have faced off this year, with the teams opening their season during the NRL's Las Vegas double-header.
Walker's side prevailed on that occasion, however the win was overshadowed by a racial slur by teammate Spencer Leniu towards Mam.
Leniu was handed an eight-game suspension and will serve the final week of his ban next week, meaning he will miss the Suncorp Stadium showdown.
Roosters v Broncos - Round 1, 2024
The forward's absence will likely take some of the heat out of the contest and Walker doesn't expect any drama during the match.
"When you get out there, there's not enough time to think [about it]," Walker said. "I'm sure there will be a bit of a build up this week but we've just got to clear our heads and know what we want to do.
"If we play like we did [against the Dragons], I'm really confident we'll come away with the win. There'll be a lot spoken this week about us coming up against the Broncos again but we're looking forward to it."
Walker has made a habit of lifting in the big moments and collected his second Ashton Collier Spirit of ANZAC Medal on Thursday.
The Roosters halfback represented Queensland as a teenager and next week's match shapes as an opportunity to edge in front of Mam in the race for a Maroons jersey.
This article contains content that is only available on pan66.com
Walker has played with a new level of freedom this year and said a clear head has been key to his outstanding form.
"Last year I was missing that confidence to be able to go out there and do what I do," he said. "I do feel really confident [this year]. I've had a couple of weeks [out with a concussion] to sit back and watch.
"I feel like I was really clear on what I wanted to do [on Thursday]. It was good to get away with the two points but it's a long year and we'll be back at it in a couple of days. I can't wait to go back to Brisbane and play back home in front of my family."
This article contains content that is only available on pan66.com