Injured Roosters star Sam Walker described the moment he ruptured his ACL as “the worst two minutes of pain in my life” but said the silver lining of his injury will be an ability to support Brandon Smith as the pair struggle through the dark days of rehab.
The 22-year-old Walker is booked in for surgery on Thursday after suffering a ruptured ACL in his left knee in the 12th minute of Sunday’s shock loss to the Raiders. In a stroke of rotten luck, Smith suffered the same injury later in the game and will also require a full reconstruction.
Walker spoke about the circumstances around his injury at Allianz Stadium as the Roosters named Sandon Smith as the new No.7 in their 22-man squad to meet the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
“The knee went on me and I felt a ‘pop’,” Walker told this masthead.
“I was adamant when I went into the sheds someone had hit my knee. I was convinced there had been knee on knee.
“Then I saw the footage of nobody around me, and I knew it was the force of me landing on the ground that had caused this feeling like something had exploded inside my knee.
Sam Walker is helped off the field after suffering a ruptured ACL against Canberra.Credit: NRL Photos
“The first two minutes was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I was in complete agony. I was calling for the green whistle and medicab to start with. But then the pain went away.
“I was even saying to the physio, ‘give me a second, I might be able to run this off’.
“When I went into the sheds, a few physios were testing it and couldn’t quite gauge what was going on. After a couple of minutes, I asked one of the physios, and he told me what he thought, which ended up being accurate.
“That’s when it hit home. There were a few tears in the sheds, only because I knew it was our opportunity to finish in the top four, and the fact you play footy to get to this stage of the year. To pull up short this late in the year, it was frustrating.”
Brandon Smith is assisted from the field.Credit: Getty Images
Walker suffered a partial tear in the same knee playing NSW Cup last year. He pointed out his famous father Ben had ruptured his ACL, and his mother, Kylie, suffered two ACLs, “so maybe I’ll blame my parents for bad genes”.
Walker went home late Sunday and was comforted by teammate Angus Crichton, with the pair staying up late to watch re-runs of Seinfeld.
“Angry ant”: Roosters halfback Sandon Smith.Credit: NRL Images
Scans confirmed the worst for Smith and Walker – Smith ruptured his ACL and MCL – with the Kiwi dummy-half telling Nine News: “As long as I keep my mental health sorted, I’ll be happy.”
Those words were not lost on Walker, who said: “We’ve been messaging every day so far. I think it will help with both of us going through the same thing at the same time, and even pushing each other to see who is back first.
“I look forward to spending time with my little mate.
“There will be dark days and tough days ahead. A fair few people in my life have gone through this injury, so it’s important we both keep an eye on each other. I’ve got a really good network around me, and he does, too, and we’ll lean on those people the next nine months.”
Walker backed Sandon Smith to shine in the halves with Luke Keary, and how he made the most of his opportunities in the past.
“I’m really close with ‘Sando’, and I know he’ll step up and do a really good job,” Walker said.
“He’s got plenty of ability, he has a touch football background, so his skill-set is at a really high level, and he’s also got a lot of mongrel.
“He’s a little angry ant sometimes. But that will do him wonders there. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
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