The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Adrian Proszenko
Having famously made a miracle recovery from ankle surgery in just a month, Daly Cherry-Evans is backing Roosters halves partner Sam Walker to do likewise and figure in this year’s finals campaign.
asserted
Evans → make → campaign
Walker suffered a syndesmosis injury against the Dolphins in round 26 that required surgery, a setback that was initially considered a season-ending one.
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that → suffer → setback
However, the Maroons playmaker has been rehabbing around the clock in a bid to play again this year.
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playmaker → rehabbe → bid
The injury is identical to the one Cherry-Evans suffered in round seven in 2019.
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Evans → suffer → 2019
It was expected to sideline the former Manly captain for up to nine weeks, but he made a shock early comeback to captain Queensland to a win in the opening game of that year’s State of Origin series.
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he → expect → series
That moment turned out to be one of the most storied in the career of Cherry-Evans, who believes Walker can do something similar.
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Walker → turn → something
“Those injuries, you can get back pretty quick,” Cherry-Evans said.
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Evans → get → ?
“I’ve tried to share my experience with him.
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I → try → him
It took me a touch over four weeks, so he’ll be trying to do the same.
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he → take → same
“Look, we’re obviously saddened to hear that he needed surgery and wasn’t playing.
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he → look → surgery
It’s disappointing to hear those things when you see a teammate go down and hear the news they need surgery.
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they → ’ → surgery
But he’s lucky in the sense that it’s not a season-ending one, he’s still got a chance.
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he → ’ → chance
“And it gives Hugo [Savala] an opportunity, sort of like he did last year.
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he → give → opportunity
He loves playing in the halves, and he’ll relish this opportunity.”
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he → love → opportunity
Walker wasn’t named for the Roosters’ semi-final clash with Cronulla at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, but could be available should they progress to a preliminary final.
uncertain
they → name → final
Cherry-Evans said Walker was giving himself every chance to return.
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Walker → say → chance
“You love to see it,” he said.
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he → love → it
“When you get hit with adversity in life, you can sit there and sob about it, or you can go after it.
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you → hit → it
He’s going after it, and it just shows his character.
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it → go → character
“He’s a resilient person.
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He → ’ → ?
You can see him going after it.
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him → see → it
This season means a lot to him.
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season → mean → him
You can tell by the way he’s trying to get back.
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he → tell → way
It’s really cool.”
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It → ’ → ?
Roosters enforcer Victor Radley said it was inspiring to witness how diligent Walker had been in his recovery.
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Walker → say → recovery
“Mate, if you see what some of these players are doing these days, you wouldn’t rule it out, because I don’t know if it’s the surgery and how they’re getting so much better at it or what it is, but people are just recovering quicker.
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people → see → it
Obviously doing better physio, better treatment,” Radley said.
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Radley → do → physio
“He’s probably only about 70 kilos ...
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He → ’ → ?
there’s not much weight on that ankle, so he should be sweet … from about four days after [surgery], he was walking around like he didn’t have anything done.
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anything → ’ → surgery
So you wouldn’t notice anything.”
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you → notice → anything
The Roosters have named Angus Crichton in the hope he will be ready to make a return from a foot fracture.
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he → name → fracture
The NSW and Australian forward was named last week, but was a late scratching from the side that lost to Penrith.
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that → name → Penrith
“Gus is closer [to playing] than Sammy,” Roosters captain James Tedesco said.
“
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Tedesco → play → Sammy
It’s been two or three weeks now [for Walker], which is very quick, but he did some running last week, which is promising.
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which → do → running
Gussy has been sort of in and out of training, getting better and better, so I think he could be a chance ...
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he → get → training
Gussy’s a big part of our team; he hasn’t been playing for a long time, and I think he’s itching to get back out there.”
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he → ’ → time
In other team news, Newcastle forward Dylan Lucas has been named on an extended bench, raising hopes of an early return from an ankle fracture he suffered in round 21.
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he → name → round
At the Warriors, Jackson Ford’s comeback from a pectoral injury lasted just 24 minutes after he suffered an ankle problem against the Dolphins.
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he → last → Dolphins
However, winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is also on an extended bench after suffering a broken collarbone in round 25.
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Zelezniak → suffer → round
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday.
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News → send → sport
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