Dylan Walker

Dylan Walker

Personal information
Born	(1994-09-27) 27 September 1994 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Position	Centre, Five-eighth, Fullback
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2013–15	South Sydney Rabbitohs	62	33	2	0	136
2016–	Manly Sea Eagles	18	8	12	0	56
	Total	80	41	14	0	192
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2014	City Origin	1	0	0	0	0
2014	Australia	4	0	0	0	0
2015	NRL All Stars	1	1	0	0	4
2016	New South Wales	2	0	0	0	0
As of 31 July 2016
Source: [1]

Dylan Walker (born 27 September 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer of Māori and Pitcairner Descent who currently plays for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. An Australian international representative, he plays at centre and five-eighth, but can also fill in at fullback. He previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, with whom he won the 2014 NRL Premiership with.

Background

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Walker played his junior rugby league in the South Sydney Juniors competition for the Mascot Jets before being signed by the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Walker attended Matraville Sports High School.^[2] Walker played in the Rabbitohs NYC team in 2012-2013. In August 2012, Walker also played for the Australian Schoolboys.^[3] His mother is a Pitcairner and his father is Maori. He is a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian on his mother's side.^[2]

Playing career

2013

On 20 April, Walker played for the New South Wales Under 20's team against the Queensland Under 20's team at centre in the Blues 36-12 win at Penrith Stadium.^[4][5] In Round 10, Walker made his NRL debut for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Wests Tigers at centre and scoring a try in the Rabbitohs 54-10 win at ANZ Stadium.^[6] Walker finished his promising debut year in the NRL with him playing in 16 matches, scoring 8 tries and kicking 1 goal.

Walker playing for the NSW under-20s team in 2013

2014

On 14 February, Walker was named in Souths inaugural 2014 Auckland Nines squad.^[7] At the start of the 2014 NRL season, due to the new Rabbitohs appointed five-eighth Luke Keary getting injured in the Nines tournament and John Sutton being shifted to play in the forwards, Walker was appointed to be five-eighth.^[8] Walker played five-eighth in his junior years. He had his first start at five-eighth in round 1 against the Sydney Roosters where the Rabbitohs won 28-8.^[9] Walker played at five-eighth till round 4 before being shifted back to his preferred position at centre and John Sutton filling in at five-eighth until Keary returned from injury.

On 4 May, Walker was selected to play at centre for City Origin against Country Origin in the 26-26 all draw in Dubbo.^[10][11] In Round 9 against the Gold Coast Titans, Walker scored 4 tries in the Rabbitohs 40-18 win.^[12] On 5 October, in the Rabbitohs 2014 NRL Grand Final match against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Walker played at centre in the Rabbitohs 30-6 victory.^[13][14] On 14 October 2014, Walker was selected for the Australian Kangaroos 2014 Four Nations 24-man squad.^[15] Walker made his international debut against New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium, starting at centre then played at fullback in the 2nd half filling in for Greg Inglis in Australia’s 30-12 loss.^[16] Walker played in all of Australia's 4 matches, including playing at centre in the 22-18 loss in the final against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium.^[17]

2015

On 23 January 2015, Walker was named in the South Sydney Rabbitohs tournament winning 2015 NRL Auckland Nines squad.^[18] On 13 February, Walker played centre for NRL All Stars for the 2015 All Stars match at Cbus Super Stadium. Walker scored a try in the side’s 20-6 loss to the Indigenous All Stars.^[19] On 23 February 2015, Walker played for the Rabbitohs in the 2015 World Club Series match against 2014 Super League Grand Final premiers St Helens RFC, playing at centre and scored a try in the Rabbitohs 39-0 win at Langtree Park.^[20] In the 2015 NRL season Round 1 opener against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, Walker scored the first try of the 2015 season in the Rabbitohs 36-6 win.^[21] On 13 June 2015, Walker was included into the New South Wales Blues origin squad as 19th man leading up to Game 2 of the 2015 State of Origin series.^[22] Walker finished the 2015 NRL season with him playing in 22 matches and scoring 13 tries for the Rabbitohs. In the early hours of 22 September 2015, Walker and fellow South Sydney team-mate and best friend Aaron Gray were hospitalized after the pair overdosed on prescription drugs Oxycodone and Tramadol at Gray's apartment in Rosebery.^[23] The pair were discovered by another friend of them who alerted emergency services and the pair were sent to St Vincent's Hospital in a critical condition placed in induced comas.^[24] The pair were released from hospital three days later to front the media about the unfortunate situation.^[25] Later on 26 November, Walker was released from the final year of his Rabbitohs contract after requesting a release, after finding out that he was fined five percent of his contract and the club angry at him for bringing the club into disrepute.^[26][27][28]

On 17 December 2015, Walker signed with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on a 4-year deal starting from 2016, after he was heavily linked to sign with them since his release from the Rabbitohs, putting the end to his tumultuous off season. Although he has played most of his first-grade career in the centres, Walker has been touted by new Manly coach Trent Barrett and Sea Eagles legend and rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton, themselves former Australian international five-eighths, as the replacement five-eighth for New Zealand international half Kieran Foran who has moved to play for Parramatta from 2016. At the official announcement of his signing during a Sea Eagles pre-season training camp in Coffs Harbour, Walker told the Sydney Morning Herald "Five-eighth was my favourite position coming through the juniors and if the coach (Barrett) wants me there I will jump at the opportunity".^[29][30]

2016

On 13 January, Walker was named in the emerging New South Wales Blues squad.^[31] In Round 1 of the 2016 NRL season, he made his club debut for the Sea Eagles against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, starting at five-eighth in the Sea Eagles' 28-6 loss at Brookvale Oval.^[32] In Round 2 against the Wests Tigers, he scored his first club try for the Sea Eagles in the 36-22 loss at Leichhardt Oval.^[33] On 1 June, he made his debut for New South Wales against Queensland in Game 1 of the 2016 State of Origin series, coming off the interchange bench. He came onto the field at the 71st minute, and made a mistake shortly after.^[34][35]

References

External links

• NRL profile
• 2016 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles profile