Titans: Walker in eight weeks rehab

[Queenslander]

Titans spare Walker the axe


April 24, 2007

GOLD Coast Titans have decided to spare Chris Walker from being axed over an incident at a Surfers Paradise nightclub earlier this month.

Titans managing director Michael Searle said the NRL club would provide funding for Walker to enter into an eight week rehabilitation program. The former Queensland State of Origin flyer has been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and also alcohol dependency.

Searle said Walker would be fined the maximum amount under NRL rules – 25 per cent of his one year contract – after becoming involved in an altercation with a patron at Melbas nightclub on April 7.

Searle said the club's disciplinary committee believed there was sufficient evidence to suggest that Walker's psychological disorder did affect the incident he was involved in.

Walker will enter into an intensive treatment program in an interstate hospital yet to be decided and the Titans will fund treatment for his problems throughout the year.

"To ensure he can focus on that care and rehabilitation the club has decided to allow him a period of at least eight weeks to focus on that care and the treatment program," Searle said.

"With that in mind he will be pushed away from the organisation in the short term with a view to coming back at some stage in the future when he's mentally well to do so."

The club has decided to ban Walker from entering licensed premises, drinking alcohol or gambling to assist him in his rehabilitation.

"The club is committed to assisting Chris through this time but we're also conscious of a need to send a clear message that inappropriate behaviour won't be conducted here.

AAP

[Queenslander]

Eight weeks rehab is a step in the right direction. The ban on Walker going to any licenced premises should stay for as long as necessary (perhaps even as long as he is at the club). This is Walkers one and only chance that Walker will get from the Titans. DON'T WASTE IT CHRIS

[Tamwelg]

Source: www.titans.com.au


Walker decision

Jetstar Gold Coast Titans player Chris Walker has been found guilty of breaching the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Player's Code of Conduct and the NRL Playing Agreement under 8.1 (b) and 8.2 (l)

While there has been much speculation that the club would terminate Chris's agreement, Managing Director Michael Searle said the wellbeing of the player had become the key issue being addressed by the disciplinary panel, after medical evidence was presented.

Michael Said "While terminating Chris's contract was an option, we have throughout this process dealt purely with what we feel is in the best interest of the player. For Chris to acknowledge his problems and actively seek help was a significant step, and we as a club want to ensure that the process continues and Chris receives the professional help he requires in order to prepare him for a return to Rugby League, but more importantly for the rest of his life."

"The Club has decided to ensure that it provides the best possible care for Chris Walker and with that in mind we have brought down a decision that ensures that he receives the best possible care."

"As part of the we have made it a condition of him staying with the club that he continues to seek professional treatment and we have also asked him to sign a pledge to not drink alcohol or enter a licensed premises while under contract with the club"

"We also recognise that in him being able to focus on getting better that he needs to be away from the pressures of First grade football so for that reason we have suspended him from first grade. He will take up a position with Feeder club Ipswich for that time."

"As part of the penalty we have fined Chris an amount of 25% of his playing contract but in saying that we have ensured that his treatment is taken care of by the Jetstar Titans"

"I think as a club we have learned a lot from this issue and it has proved to us that we have processes and systems in place that deal with them without affecting the playing group."

Our disciplinary board has this afternoon made the following decision regarding Chris Walker's playing contract with the club.

Chris Walker has been found guilty of breaching his NRL Playing Agreement and imposed with the following penalty;

Agreement to enter into a residential hospital as nominated by the Titans for the treatment of his medical conditions, which will be funded by the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans;
Club agrees to fund his ongoing psychological care after leaving the facility for the remainder of the playing year;

Chris enters into a "No Alcohol", ‘No Gambling" & banned from all Licensed Premises agreement with the Club;

The Club will appoint a "Mentor" to assist Chris through this process and throughout the remainder of the year;

That Chris is to receive a penalty of the maximum amount allowed under his NRL Playing Agreement for breaching his contract (25% of playing fee);

Suspended from the Jetstar Gold Coast Titans for a period of 8 weeks from training with the Club to allow him to focus on his rehabilitation.
He is free to play with the Ipswich Jets (Titans Feeder Club) during this time.

[Social Loafer]

The club has decided to ban Walker from entering licensed premises

Technically speaking, wouldn't Carrara stadium be one?

[Chris_Walker_Rules]

thats great news hope it works this time hes got alot to offer

[Steve Dangerous]

Intelligent decision.

I wouldn't have been happy had they done little, but keeping him on the books but with rehab support.. an outcome i'm happy with. i hope things turn up, cos one more slip and i can't imagine him getting a second (eighth?) chance.

[mb63]

Walker owes the titans.They could have wiped their hands of him but instead are helping him.His rugby league decline over the years has been dramatic.

[Coaster]

Im 33 and i have lost a hell of a lot more jobs becuase of going out getting drunk and doing the wrong thing then Chriss.

I think i am up to about 10.

He will be right, will be like a light going off in his head.

[Tamwelg]

Source: www.nrl.com.au


Walker spared Titans axe - just

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 7:15 PM

The Gold Coast Titans went perilously close to sacking Chris Walker before receiving independent medical advice on his psychological problems that may have saved his chequered NRL career.

The Titans imposed a stringent set of conditions on Walker - including a hefty fine believed to be around $25,000 - following an incident at a Surfers Paradise nightclub on April 7.

A heavily intoxicated Walker was ejected from Melbas nightclub in Surfers Paradise after becoming involved in an altercation with a patron.

Walker was later diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and alcohol dependency and his career hung in the balance while the Titans sought an independent assessment on his condition.

"It corroborated the evidence that was given to us last week and that allowed us to move forward and understand that the condition affected the incident and that was important for us to get that," Searle told AAP.

He had earlier told reporters at a press conference: "I think it's fair to say that until this recent condition was raised that termination was a very real option for him and it was a very real option.

"The club has taken advice and I think we've come up with the right mix of ... sending a sound message that NRL clubs will support the player but we also have a high level of expectations on the players and their discipline."

The strict conditions slapped on the 27-year-old winger are:

* an agreement to enter into an eight-week rehabilitation program funded by the Titans in a residential hospital yet to be determined.

* a ban on alcohol, gambling or entering any licensed premises while contracted to the club;

* the Titans will pay for a mentor for the rest of the year to guide Walker through his recovery program following his release from hospital.

* fined 25 per cent of his contract - the maximum amount under NRL rules;

* suspended from Titans training for eight weeks. His suspension has been lifted and he can train and play for Gold Coast's feeder club Ipswich Jets.

The Titans have agreed to fund Walker's on-going psychological care once he leaves the hospital, which is likely to be interstate.

Asked whether Walker had taken enough responsibility for his actions, Searle replied: "I think the fact that he's put his hand up and admitted he's got a problem, he's suffering from a condition, I think that's a great step.

"I don't think you can ask any person to do any more in the public forum he's in. I think that's a great start."

Searle said a "grateful" Walker was fully aware of the magnitude of his problems and the long road to recovery ahead for the talented footballer.

"I think the recent incident came from left-field. We didn't see it coming and I don't think Chris saw it coming," Searle added.

"This will give him an opportunity to enter into a program that will identify the triggers that may affect him."

Searle refused to reveal the possible identity of Walker's mentor but said it would be someone with life experience.

"We'll keep that private and confidential but we've interviewed a couple of people today," he said.

"They'll be qualified to help him through the process once he gets out of hospital."

Searle said that no-one within the Titans or Walker's previous clubs Brisbane, Souths, Sydney Roosters and the Storm were aware of his medical condition until it emerged recently.

"This probably goes a long way to explaining his indiscretions in the past," Searle said.

"It certainly doesn't absolve him of those indiscretions and there's been lots of good clubs involved in his treatment before.

"We've probably been fortunate enough in that we've been able to diagnose it and hopefully we can come up with a regime that can assist him, not so much in his football career but maybe life after football."

Source: AAP

[Darren Lockyer]

Intelligent decision.

I wouldn't have been happy had they done little, but keeping him on the books but with rehab support.. an outcome i'm happy with. i hope things turn up, cos one more slip and i can't imagine him getting a second (eighth?) chance.

I agree and they have done everything possible to help him get his life on track

[TITAN PETE]

Well done to the managment for doing the right thing & helping Chris through his dramas & not just brushing him aside as that may have happened elsewhere .
It's now time for Chris to sort himself out & come back stronger than ever:) .

[Cowboy Titan]

Well done to the managment for doing the right thing & helping Chris through his dramas & not just brushing him aside as that may have happened elsewhere .
I agree. All at the club are to be congratulated for not wiping their hands of him and for showing a genuine interest in their players welfare.

I hope they find a great mentor for him to guide him through his rehab and beyond.

[RobJ]

Like many I initially groaned with fear when the Club first signed Chris Walker. The ethos of signing other players for their standing off the field as well as on went, in my opinion, went out the door when Chris was signed and I was probably against it for quite a while hoping like hell that my fears wouldn't become reality.

Things then changed. He concentrated on his football and the impact he had and has appears huge when he keeps his footy head on. I can't think when I've seen him more focused on his game, less on field 'bad boy' crap and just good football and apparently his training was first class as well.

Then the dreaded day came. And like most others I felt, hang on....do we cut this bloke loose like all before and end his career and more than likely place his very self in a dark place, or do we do what we can, with limits and his 110% input and try and help the guy.

IF....and at this stage it seems a big IF, the club can help him...(the strategy devised now is the best possible option), it's a win-win situation.

Firstly and probably most importantly Chris gains back some stability and a life of success rather than fear which can only be a good thing.

Secondly the Titans then gain a footballer who on his day can be one of the best on any field.

The Titans bosses should be lauded by the entire game as pioneers now who are prepared to back their player, even against what their heads probably say ,that not only the player benefits in gaining their life back but we gain a committed and focused player who will and should be indebted to the club for sticking their neck out for him......if the player takes the chance offered to him.

It's not just a club thing, this is all down to you Chris...........people her just want to see you succeed on and off the field. I just want to see you playing your best football and that can only be done when you sort the other things out as best you can.

You are a champion Chris....................................now you can prove it.

[jenny]

Walker dodges axe, off to clinic

Pat McLeod

25Apr07

CHRIS Walker has survived rugby league's death row, but the brilliant winger faces an eight-week battle to regain his health and the trust of his Gold Coast Titans teammates.

Titans managing director Michael Searle yesterday threw Walker his final lifeline when he announced that the habitual offender would be retained by the club despite being found guilty of a drunken incident at a Surfers Paradise nightclub.

Searle admitted that until yesterday termination was 'a very real option' for Walker, but the club had been swayed by medical advice which is believed to indicate an anxiety disorder and also alcohol dependency.

"The disciplinary committee has decided not to terminate his (Walker's) agreement," said Searle.

"We have decided that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the condition he is suffering from did effect the incident he was involved with.

"In saying that we acknowledge that we do have a duty of care with the player and it is our club's intention to assist Chris in the best possible manner around receiving the best possible psychological care and the Titans have agreed to fund that care."

Searle said Walker would be 'pushed away' from the Titans for an eight-week period, during which he would receive treatment as an inpatient at a medical facility.

He will also be fined 25 per cent of his playing fee, but will remain on full pay during his treatment and rehabilitation.

Searle said the club's focus now was on bringing Walker back as a player and a person.

"We will have an intensive period for him where he will enter into a hospital for treatment around his conditions and the club will also fund his ongoing psychological treatment.

"He will be pushed away from the organisation in the short term with a view to coming back some time in the future when he's mentally well to do so.

"Further, the club has also decided to ask Chris to enter into a policy where he will not enter licensed premises, drink alcohol or gamble, to assist him in his rehabilitation.

"The club is committed to assisting Chris through this time but we are also conscious of the need to send a clear message that inappropriate behaviour will not be condoned."

Despite the club's decision to retain Walker and to assist him through his rehabilitation, it is believed there are many players within the Titans squad who are not only unhappy with his behaviour, but will need some convincing to trust him again.

The Bulletin has been told players have been extremely supportive of Walker since an investigation began into the Surfers incident about two and a half weeks ago.

They certainly wanted the club to retain the star back, but considering the high behaviour benchmark teammates have lived up to, they also wanted a public indication that ill-discipline would not be condoned.

The Titans decision yesterday has also been a hit with grass roots supporters, with up to 85 per cent of the club's online fans backing Walker.

Yesterday Searle would not speculate on how long it would take Walker to regain his top grade position at the Titans.

"He will be able to play for our feeder club Ipswich, but we feel it would be difficult to deal with the full-time rigours of the NRL and deal with his treatment as well,"said Searle.

He said Walker was grateful that he had been given the opportunity to deal with his illness.

As well as the huge fine, medical treatment and alcohol ban, some of the other directions directions handed down by the Titans disciplinary committee include:

* Agreement to fund his ongoing psychological care, after leaving the medical facility, for the remainder of the year

* The appointment of a mentor to assist Walker through the process.
Gold Coast Bulletin

[Grimmace]

Bailey will stand by good mate Walker
Pat McLeod
26Apr07

ON a day when Australians celebrated mateship, Gold Coast Titans cornerstone Luke Bailey stood by banished teammate Chris Walker.

"I would love to see him back here," said a stoney-faced Bailey of Walker yesterday.

"But the challenge he now faces will show his true character.

"It will be a very long eight weeks, and if he does get back into this team I will be genuinely rapt for him, because I will know what he has overcome to get here."

The Titans trained in sweltering conditions yesterday morning for Sunday's home clash against the Eels.

Before they hit the training track they faced a detailed briefing on the fate that befell troubled Titan Walker late Tuesday afternoon.

Bailey said the squad acknowledged Walker faced possibly the toughest battle of his life to get back into the Titans' top team.

"This is not about getting a second chance," said Bailey, who is not only co-captain but a man many regard as the heart of the fledgling club.

"Chris has to pay. He is not getting off lightly.

"We have a strict disciplinary code and he broke it. If you tarnish the image of this club, something we have all worked hard to establish, then of course you have to pay. He has a big obstacle in front of him.

"We have blokes who are playing very well on the wing and the chances are they will only improve in the eight weeks Chris is out.

"So he is going to have to work very hard to win his place back."

But Bailey denied the players had lost trust in Walker.

"It may only be early in the season but we have already become a family. As you play together you develop a friendship where you look after each other," he said. "We know we have to discipline ourselves and we know we have an image to protect and we work hard on that, but the players are happy to see him given a chance to get back."

While acknowledging that Walker has an alcohol problem, Bailey indicated there was a lot more to the 27-year-old than the bad-boy image.

"You may read in the paper that he is a madman, but off the grog he is a real nice bloke and he tries to help anyone out and would do anything for you," he said.

"He has a problem when he drinks and that is why he is going to counselling. Off the grog, on the field he is as reliable as any bloke you will play with.

"He would do anything for you off the field.

"He is an experienced player and was very good for the younger blokes, showing the way and making them feel welcome."

Bailey revealed that he was one of the players that Walker had turned to when he found himself in trouble with the club.

"Chris has got good mates in this team," he said. "He spoke to me. He spoke to Matty Rogers. He spoke to the senior players.

"He spoke to me in particular and stated his case and told me what was going on.

"There was not much I could do. It was a contractual thing ... it was out of my hands. But I told him that if asked I would put my hand up for him. But I told him he just had to face the music, and he did that.

"Hopefully we will see him in a few weeks."

Bailey said Walker's teammates believe he can come back from this latest fall from grace.

"He has to prove to himself that he can do it. He has to prove to himself and to us that he wants to get back here.

"If he gets back and is playing with us again then full credit to him.

"We know how hard he worked when he first came to the club. I have never seen anyone train as hard.

"He was thrown in the deep end. (Trainer) Billy (Johnstone) did not give him a chance to work his way into it. He just threw him straight into the deep end and he responded really positively."

For the Titans and Bailey, the bottom line is that a healthy Walker is one of the game's most prolific points-scorers.

"Any team would love to have that sort of player with the right mindset and playing good footy," Bailey said.

"As I said, this isn't a second chance scenario for Chris. It is more a mid-life change and we will just have to wait and see if he can come through the other side."

Source: GC Bulletin

[jenny]

I love Bailey (well you know what i mean) he Rocks ;)

[TITAN PETE]

Thats what the Bull is a leader who wants the best for his troops:) .

[Queenslander]

Extract of this article:

http://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/4786/Default.aspx


Meanwhile, Gold Coast winger Chris Walker revealed the alcohol dependency that almost resulted in his Titans contract being torn up had been diagnosed as a genetic condition.

Walker was fined and had a strict set of conditions placed on him after being ejected from a Surfers Paradise nightclub following an altercation with a patron.

"They've traced it to a gene in the family," Walker told the Nine Network.

"I've basically been in denial about it the past years and it's come to a head now.

"In a way I'm thankful it has come to a head because now I can address it."

The rugby league nomad said he'd been stunned by the support he had received from others in the footballing community.

"There's a number of players that have come out and rang me personally and spoken to me about it," he said.

"It's just good to know there are other guys out there that go through it."

Walker will train and play with the Queensland Cup Ipswich Jets side while undertaking an eight-week rehabilitation program.

The Titans have also banned him from drinking alcohol, gambling or entering any licensed premises while contracted to the club.
Source: AAP

[shamus]

I totaly, absolutely agree with the decision that has been made by Titans management. The person comes first, not the player. I mean, Chris has after all, only played one competition game this year and we lost! so it's not as if we need Chris to help us win the title. So 8 weeks out at Ipswich while the Titans win the next 6 or 7 or even 8 games would be good for all concerned. We get Chris back for the latter part of the season and everything then comes up roses..:)..............That was tongue in cheek people so don't start. Seriously though, there is nothing better than to be with your team mates (and supporters) after an adrenalin ar$e kicking win over a team that maybe you were supposed to lose against. So can Chris come back to the Leagues Club (Does Ipswich have a leagues club?) and celebrate (emotionally) with his teamates, or after he is back with the Titans team can he come back to the Titanium Bar? How does he do that if he can't walk into a licenced premises? I mean, he is going to have a 'minder' with him. Surely the rules perhaps state that he can attend licenced premises in the company of blah, blah, blah. It would take the gloss off wanting to compete if you can't share the emotions after a well earned win. You might as well head home, watch the reply on the telly and get pissed!
P.S. It's after 10pm again.........

[DIEHARD]

I totally support the club's stance in regards to Chris Walker and was especially happy to see the club's stance supported and applauded in today's Courier Mail especially by our fellow Queensland clubs, Brisbane and North Queensland.

[Boonarga]

The stance taken by Michael Searle and the rest of the Titans management team is something rarely seen in the sport world. "The person is more important than the player"

Let's hope that Chris Walker can overcome his demons.

Decisions like this prove to me that I made the right move in becoming a Titans supporter.

[Coaster]

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news...459883787.html

Roy Masters | April 27, 2007

THE Titans stand as tall as their namesakes after deciding not to cut short the career of troubled Chris Walker. Rugby league is all the 27-year-old has left. It would have been cruel to cancel his contract for the crime of sitting on someone's sunglasses.

OK, there was some pushing and shoving in a Gold Coast nightclub after he accidentally broke the shades, and he may have been over 0.05. But the Titans have already established a reputation as a strong administration, and the first-year club didn't need Walker's head to prove it.

They know the difference between what is legal and what is right; they are willing to confront the growing gap between the media's need for a scapegoat and the public's expectation of justice. They surrendered their original name, the Dolphins, because it was the emblem of the Redcliffe club which plays in the Brisbane competition. "Legally, we were right - but morally, we were wrong," chairman Paul Broughton said of the decision to relinquish claims to the Dolphins moniker. "We would have won in the courts but lost the moral high ground."

When Walker fronted the tribunal Broughton chaired, he admitted everything - basically, breaching the NRL code on alcohol - and the nightclub laid no complaint. NRL clubs have in the past come down with some very strong penalties in response to bad behaviour, such as the Roosters fining second-rower Michael Crocker $10,000 for a punch-up with his best mate outside a Coogee hotel and the Dragons hitting Mark Gasnier for $50,000 for sending a lurid text message.

Penrith's Craig Gower has twice gone on the rampage but, unlike Walker, has refused to admit he has a problem with alcohol. OK, Gower has played for one club while Walker has been released from four - Brisbane and then Souths when the Roosters wanted him to fortify their semi-final campaign; the Roosters when he dropped the ball in the grand final; and Melbourne when he was late for training twice after arguments with his girlfriend.

But the Titans recognised Walker was deeply disturbed and that cutting him would have severed his final lifeline. He conceded alcohol was both the cause and effect of his depression. He accepted the club fine of 25 per cent of his lowly income, volunteered to enter rehabilitation, agreed to psychological counselling and will play in a second-tier league.

As Walker's harshest critic, I have taken a special interest in the former Queensland player. When he walked out on his Souths teammates, apparently accepting a 75 per cent pay cut, I didn't buy the story. When he refused to carry the ball forward in a Roosters' preliminary grand final, I accused him - on the front page of the Herald - of again letting down his mates. But I didn't crucify him when Melbourne sacked him - because I could see he was already down, having lost that cheeky optimism.

In April last year, Storm coach Craig Bellamy asked me to speak to his players after dinner in one of the cheap eateries they prefer. I had nearly completed the book Bad Boys and relayed the essential message I had learnt after researching all four football codes. It wasn't the players with most games, I told them, or Australian jumpers, or man of the match awards, or property accumulated in retirement who were important in the eyes of their peers.

The players who had given of themselves, made sacrifices for the team and laid their bodies on the line ? these were the ones feted at reunions and remembered most fondly. Afterwards, when only the coaching staff remained, Walker, who had been sitting alone, walked over from a corner and shook my hand. Bellamy, unaware of our history, took no notice of the unspoken peace treaty. Walker responded by winning the players' award in a match during which he took a high ball knowing he would be monstered. But then came his troubles with his girlfriend, an actress, and the Storm cut him.

Like Julian O'Neill, who was once engaged to swimmer Samantha Riley, Walker had a glamorous partner. Like Julian, he was a Queensland representative back. Alcohol was their common problem, and they were forever in trouble. Both had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus, but good men intervened to help; Souths' former president George Piggins rescuing Julian when he appeared to have lost everything.

O'Neill is now leading a successful life in England. Hopefully Walker, the Titans' first try scorer, can make a similar conversion.

[Cowboy Titan]

A good article by Roy.

When the reports said that Chris smashed some glasses, I didn't know they meant that he sat on some sunglasses. Anyone could accidentally do that.

[Dakink]

I hope more for his sake that he can get his head right - all wishes to him.

[Steelers]

I didn't know they meant that he sat on some sunglasses. Anyone could accidentally do that.

I just realised that as well. It is amazing how easily the media can influence the public with one single word isn't it......

[chris_walker_fan86]

chris will do really well in rehab

[ktcoop]

The media really had hyped up the 'incident'. I wish Chris all the best and hope to see him back soon playing great footy.

[League Lover]

That is great new for the TITANS

[Tamwelg]

Source: www.nrl.com.au


Walker should be playing NRL: brother

Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 5:56 PM

The brother of controversial Gold Coast winger Chris Walker believes the former Origin flyer has been punished enough and should be back playing in the NRL.

Former NRL player Ben Walker said his star sibling should slot straight into the Titans line-up this weekend and not be forced to play in the feeder competition.

Chris Walker, 27, will make his return to rugby league when he runs out for Ipswich in the Queensland Cup clash against host Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval on Sunday.

He was fined, slapped with an eight-week ban and ordered to undergo a rehabilitation program for an anxiety disorder and alcohol problems after an April 7 incident at a Gold Coast nightclub.

The Titans winger began his rehabilitation last week and is slated to serve another four weeks at Ipswich working under coach and former Brisbane teammate Kevin Walters before being allowed to return to the Titans.

He has not played since breaking his thumb in the NRL season-opener.

But Ben Walker said his brother should be playing NRL now that he was fully fit.

"If I had something to do with the decision making I would have him playing first grade this week," he told AAP.

"I don't think he needs to go back and play reserve grade to prove he can play.

"His footballing ability has never been questioned, and it shouldn't be questioned now.

"He plays the way he does, and not many can do that."

Ben Walker also believed his sibling had already shown he was in the "form of his career" and should have his one-year contract extended, despite the recent off-field drama.

"You'd be mad not to have him in your team. From what he has shown this season there wouldn't be too many teams that could afford to leave him out and the Titans are in that category," he said.

"None of the NRL teams have got the depth to keep someone like Chris out.

"He's got ample time to play NRL again."

Titans coach John Cartwright said he was pleased Walker was making progress in his rehab and was returning to the football field.

"I'm happy for him. I hope he goes well," said Cartwright.

"I know he is working on the things he has to do, I haven't heard anything other than that and wish him well on Sunday.

"He's got time to serve at Ipswich and when it's done we will worry about it then."

Jets coach Walters said he would not be keeping Walker in cotton wool during his Cup stint.

"He is a trump card. He's a quality player and we want to use his attacking talents - that's what he is there for," he told AAP.

"We won't be putting too much pressure on him but certainly we will be looking for him to perform while he is here.

Ironically Walker will make his return in the centres alongside another league bad-boy, former Canberra player Jason Bulgarelli.

Bulgarelli was sacked by the Raiders in 2004 after he was allegedly sent a package containing ecstasy.

Source: AAP

[Tamwelg]

Neither winger was really impressive against the Cowboy, so if it was time for him to be back in the NRL I'm sure he'd slot straight in, but he's not due back yet.