Chris Walker (rugby league)

Chris Walker
Walker while playing for Catalans in 2010
Personal information
Born (1980-02-27) 27 February 1980
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb)
Position Fullback, Wing, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–02 Brisbane Broncos 67 40 0 0 160
2003 South Sydney 5 1 0 0 4
2003–05 Sydney Roosters 47 26 44 0 192
2006 Melbourne Storm 7 2 1 0 10
2007–09 Gold Coast Titans 20 10 3 0 46
2010 Catalans Dragons 12 6 2 0 28
2011 Parramatta Eels 5 2 0 0 8
Total 163 87 50 0 448
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2001–02 Queensland 6 4 0 0 16
Source: NRL Stats, RLP

Chris Walker (born 27 February 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta Eels. Walker also had a stint in Super League for French club Catalans Dragons. He is the younger brother of fellow professional NRL players Shane Walker and Ben Walker. At one point in the late 1990s all three brothers were playing together for the Brisbane Broncos.

Background

Walker was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 27 February 1980. While attending St. Mary's College, Toowoomba, in 1996, he was selected to play for the Australian Schoolboys team.[1]

Playing career

While playing for the Past Brothers club in the Queensland Cup, Walker also played for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League.[2] Having won the 2000 NRL Premiership, the Broncos traveled to England to play against 2000's Super League V Champions, St Helens RLFC for the 2001 World Club Challenge, with Walker selected for the interchange bench in Brisbane's loss. He played for Queensland in all 6 State of Origin matches in 2001 and 2002. Walker scored in all three games of the 2001 State of Origin series. Also, along with Lote Tuqiri and Darren Lockyer, he was the top try-scorer for the Broncos in the 2002 season.

Walker was also a try-scorer in the Sydney Roosters' loss in the 2003 NRL Grand Final. He also scored a try in the following year's Grand Final loss to the Bulldogs. He gained a reputation as a "bad boy" of rugby league.[3] In the 2004 NRL season he was involved in a drunken altercation with police outside a Fortitude Valley nightclub[4] The Roosters club fined the winger and placed him on an alcohol ban for the rest of the season.[5] He returned to play on the wing and score a try for the Roosters in their 2004 NRL Grand Final loss to cross-Sydney rivals, the Bulldogs.

In August, 2006, Walker was dropped by Melbourne Storm and was not picked up by any other NRL club. Then in November it was announced that he had been given a trial with the Gold Coast Titans. In early March 2007 after a series of strong performances in pre-season trial matches with the Titans, Walker signed a one-year deal with the Gold Coast club. In the first NRL premiership game for the new club Walker scored two tries, but then broke a bone in his hand early in the second half. In April, 2007, while sidelined with injury, Walker was reported to have been ejected from a bar after for "bad behaviour".[6] The Gold Coast Titans suspended him as a result and it was later revealed that Walker had been suffering from alcoholism and an anxiety disorder.[7] After a period of rehabilitation and several games in the Queensland Cup, Walker returned to the NRL in Round 19 against the Bulldogs.[8]

In 2008 Walker suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon for the second time in five months.[9] In 2009 he attracted interest from European Super League clubs, but said he did not want to play in Europe and he would prefer to stay in the NRL with a Queensland team.[10] Chris has signed a two-year deal with the Catalans Dragons in France.[11]

Walker returned to the NRL in 2011 to play with the Parramatta Eels.[12] Her approached Eels officials for permission leave the NRL club after a string of injuries. Walker retired from the NRL at the end of the 2011 season. He returned to playing with Ipswitch Jets and recently played in the state final where the Jets defeated Newcastle.

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". Sporting Pulse. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  2. ↑ Round 22: 15, 16 August Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. queensland.rleague.com
  3. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2007. Story: "Walker suspended over bar incident"
  4. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, 3 May 2004. Story: "Walker suspended over police incident"
  5. ↑ ABC Sport, 3 May 2004. Story: "Walker cops fine, booze ban after Brisbane arrest"
  6. ↑ http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21576063-5001023,00.html The Daily Telegraph, 18 April 2007. Story: "Walker in strife again"
  7. ↑ http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21581337-23214,00.html Fox Sports, 19 April 2007. Story: "Titans fear for Walker"
  8. ↑ "Walker's time to prove himself". Fox Sports Australia. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  9. ↑ "Walker snaps Achilles again". Fox Sports. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  10. ↑ "Chris Walker cuts ties with Gold Coast and keen on move to Brisbane". Fox Sports. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  11. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/gold-goast-star-chris-walker-signs-with-catalans-dragons-in-super-league/story-e6frexnr-1225810412857
  12. ↑ "Chris Walker to play at Eels". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 November 2010.

External links

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