At some stage, deep into negotiations with Hudson Young, Canberra officials spoke to the NSW backrower about adding a fifth year to what was already a remarkable offer.
And still Young and his management were noncommittal. As far as Canberra were concerned, the process had gone on too long.
They had tabled a four-year deal worth $4.4m, the richest in their history.
To make sure Young put pen to paper, they threw in a fifth year, which would have kept him in the nation’s capital until 2032, by which time he would have been 34.
Last Friday, in the hope of bringing the matter to a head, Canberra informed Young he had until midday Monday. After a few phone calls, nothing eventuated. Then the Raiders pulled their offer. Hours later, the Roosters did likewise after talks with Sam Walker’s management broke down.
Young will not be in Canberra beyond 2027. Walker could have played his last game for the club he steered to a premiership earlier this month. Even if Young has a change of heart, some at the club know there will be an underlying resentment from him about not getting what he wanted in the first place.
As reported by this masthead, Young’s management asked for the deal to include ratchet clauses. Based on the salary cap rising by 15 to 20 per cent, Young stood to potentially earn $1.3m a year, a figure normally reserved for playmakers.
Three hours after the Raiders dropped a bombshell, the Roosters followed by withdrawing their deal for Walker.
Like Young, the Roosters and Walker could not come to an agreement after months of discussions.
Like Young, the Roosters also gave Walker, 24, a Monday ultimatum.
Walker abandoned talks late in the season when the club landed about $1m short of what he was hoping for. Colleague Danny Weidler reported at the time the Roosters made a well weighted offer worth about $5.6 million over four years with ratchet clauses, with the playmaker’s camp holding out for $6.8 million over four seasons.
On Sunday night, however, Walker, less than an hour after making his debut for the Kangaroos, told reporters in the Suncorp Stadium sheds he would meet with his management on Monday morning and hopefully have something sorted.
The Roosters were told Walker would agree to a three-year extension worth about $1.4m a year, which included ratchet clauses. Walker would continue to call Bondi home until the end of 2030.
As most of his Kangaroos teammates shuffled into the Qantas lounge at Brisbane airport around lunchtime Monday, waiting to fly to Townsville for their next World Cup game against the Cook Islands, Walker was glued to his phone and wandered to the other end of the airport.
Once his management asked for another tweak to the deal, the Roosters pulled their offer and put out a press release.
Billionaire owner and chairman Nick Politis is happy for Walker to go now if he can land a deal elsewhere for 2027.
But not even newcomers Perth would have a spare $1m sitting in the cap to accommodate Walker.
“We just haven’t been able to agree, and sometimes that happens with a player and a club and vice versa,” Walker’s manager Clinton Schifcofske said on Monday.
“Sam’s just focused on playing for Australia and the Roosters next year at this point. I can’t comment on what the Roosters are thinking.”
The Roosters won the premiership earlier this month. Everyone knows they play for silverware every season. If Walker was cut loose, they have Hugo Savala and young Toby Rodwell in the halves, but would need a topliner.
Nathan Cleary is the ace in the pack, but he is on his parent’s lounge, recovering from surgery to both legs. Even his dog, Prince, broke his leg, and has a matching cast. He has given zero thought to his next move, and already had a preliminary discussion about extending at Penrith.
If Walker is holding out for about $1.5m, Cleary could easily command upwards of $2m.
That kind of money will not be out of the ordinary once the cap rises to as high as $15m in 2028 when the new broadcast money kicks in.
The arrival of the PNG Chiefs and their tax-free dollars courtesy of the federal government has forced clubs to table deals before November 1 in the hope of keeping them off limits to the NRL newcomers. Clubs, however, like the Raiders and Roosters, will not bend their cap out of shape based on what the Chiefs or other clubs might offer.
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