Walker the hero as Roosters survive epic Titans comeback

This could well be the most bizarre NRL game of the lot.

A stunning comeback that fell just short, a player forced from the field for a sin bin, others allowed to remain on it despite clocking opponents in the head. Then throw in 12 tries, countless head injury assessments and a finish that was impossible to script.

As everyone was seemingly losing their heads, Sam Walker kept his. The Roosters rookie broke a 34-all deadlock with just a minute to go, kicking a field goal to break Titans hearts.

Moments earlier, the 18-year-old had missed a sideline conversion to put his team in front. Walker didn’t miss when given another opportunity, thwarting what would have been a 26-point Titans comeback, the biggest in NRL history.

“Gus [Phil Gould] always said it well, amnesia is a really important part of the game for the top players,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.

“They want the ball, they want to always continue to touch the ball and make up for that. Really positive for him.”

Sam Walker is mobbed by teammates after a try against the Titans.Credit: Getty

Walker put a huge scare through the Roosters camp when he was forced from the field in the 47th minute. The rookie had his arm pinned awkwardly by his side as he was driven into the turf in a two-man tackle.

The impact was with Walker’s “good” right shoulder; the teen had already undergone surgery on his left shoulder when he arrived at Bondi Junction. However, he emerged from the sheds and returned to the action for the frenzied final moments to ice the game.

The match appeared over when the visitors shot out to a 30-4 lead early in the second half. But the Titans hit back with five consecutive tries to steal the lead with seven minutes to go. It was a stunning shift of momentum, which changed again when Matt Ikuvalu, somersaulted in the act of scoring a spectacular try in the right-hand corner.

The winning conversion would have been taken by Adam Keighran, who was flawless with the boot all night, had he not just been interchanged. Walker ended up taking that shot and then the one that sealed the deal.

Jarrod Wallace can’t find a way through the Roosters.Credit: Getty

“It’s really disappointing and not enjoyable for anyone when you just go down like that,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.

“It could have been a great comeback and I’d be sitting here really happy. But we weren’t good enough to finish it off.”

Many of the tries were scored while players were in the sin bin or head bin. The application of the NRL’s controversial crackdown on high shots will be a huge talking point after this. It appeared to officially end in the 16th minute of an epic contest.

Kevin Proctor collected Joey Manu with a textbook coathanger. The Gold Coast forward was placed on report. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ swinging arm to the head of Greg Marzhew was also left to the match review committee.

The sin bin has been used for lesser incidents since Magic Round. The fact Proctor in particular was allowed to remain on the field suggests there has been a further recalibration of what constitutes a binning offence.

Ben Marschke left the officials with no choice, spending 10 minutes on the sidelines after collecting Jamal Fogarty with his elbow when trying to charge down a kick. Calls for consistency will be deafening.

Robinson said the referees appeared to be rewarding players for staying down, adding it was “ridiculous” that Isaac Liu was placed on report for a crusher tackle.

“The NRL has put it back on this gamesmanship or this gentleman’s agreement,” Robinson said. “Just don’t encourage it, it’s not our game ... they are saying to our players lie down. That’s unacceptable.”

This all occurred days after Kyle Feldt was spared a spell for collecting Cameron Murray high in the State of Origin opener. Maybe the rules don’t get bent just for interstate matches after all.

This was a very Waerea-Hargreaves performance. What a colossus of the game. He played the entire 80 minutes, saved two tries, was placed on report, ran for 199 metres and made 44 tackles. It was a fitting way to celebrate his 250th NRL appearance.

“That was an incredible game from Jared,” Robinson said. “He led the whole team, he dominated the game. That was a beast of a performance. He was the reason we won tonight.”

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