NRL 2021: Cody Walker is latest star to enter million-dollar debate after incredible run of form

He would have been a canny pick-up for an expansion team, instead, Souths are hellbent on Cody Walker seeing out his career at Redfern - even if it comes at a huge financial and player cost.

Let’s open up another can of worms. Let’s talk million-dollar men — or, more particular, whether Cody Walker is building an irresistible case to become the next footballer to join such rarefied company.

Amid all the talk about what justifies a seven-figure salary and whether Parramatta fullback and captain Clint Gutherson fits the bill, Walker is putting together the most remarkable attacking season in the game’s history.

So good, he may yet come from the clouds to win the Dally M medal. Walker goes up against Penrith and NSW five-eighth Jerome Luai on Friday night in a game that is expected to showcase whether the Rabbitohs are legitimate contenders this season.

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Cody Walker is having one of the great NRL seasons.

When the pair met earlier in the year it was in the lead-up to State of Origin and their encounter was viewed as a shootout for the Blues No.6 jersey. The Panthers and Luai held sway decisively, but Walker has responded to that defeat with a stunning purple patch.

The Rabbitohs playmaker has 31 try assists and 40 line-break assists this season, the sort of numbers that defy belief. He already has 10 more try assists than he had last season. He has 12 tries and forced 11 dropouts for good measure.

His form explains to a large extent why the Rabbitohs were forced to concede defeat when it came to Adam Reynolds. They were well aware that they would be forced to upgrade Walker’s deal given he is about to enter the final year of his deal on November 1.

A free agent in 2023, he would have been a canny pick-up for an expansion team. Instead, Souths are hellbent on ensuring he sees out his career at the Rabbitohs.

The greatest dilemma confronting Souths is not necessarily how much they pay Walker, but for how long. He turns 32 at the start of next year, but was a late bloomer – he didn’t make his first-grade debut until he was 26.

Cody Walker’s form inadvertently contributed to the end of the Adam Reynolds era at Souths.

Luai îs the opposite – a teenage prodigy who was in first-grade before he turned 20. While Walker has taken his game to another level since the last time the sides played in round 11, Luai has struggled since the Origin series.

Part of those problems can no doubt be attributed to the absence of halves partner Nathan Cleary, who only returned from a shoulder problem last week. Luai wore the No.7 in Cleary’s absence, but is back at five-eighth for Friday night.

He, like the other Penrith players, no doubt recognises the need to stop Walker if the Panthers are to win.

“They are firing at the moment,” Penrith forward Kurt Capewell said of Walker and Reynolds.

“They are pretty hard to stop. As I said, as a whole team defensively we are going to have a massive job. They have always had it in them, they have always been able to score a heap of points. Once they get a roll on they are a hard team to stop.

The Cody Walker v Jarome Luai battle on Friday should be a classic.

“They are a great team – we have our work cut out for us.”

The good news for Penrith is that they will strengthened by not only Capewell’s availability, but the return of James Fisher-Harris and the likely debut of Tevita Pangai Junior.

Pangai was slated to make his debut for Penrith a fortnight ago, but left the squad for personal reasons. He has now returned.

“It is good to have Tevita back in camp,” Capewell said. “I am sure he will enjoy being back and around the boys as well. He is still learning our plays as well, so the more time he has training the better.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Cody Walker is latest star to enter million-dollar debate after incredible run of form