Former Broncos star Chris Walker has enjoyed watching his nephew Sam Walker’s start to his career with the Sydney Roosters.
The 18-year-old was thrust into first-grade when Luke Keary went down with a knee injury and he has barely missed a beat since making his debut in Round 4.
The former Queensland Origin winger was asked whether he thought his nephew would be this good so early in his career.
“Yes, I did,” Walker replied on SEN 1170 Drive with Joel and Fletch.
“When I say that, people think it’s a family bias, but I don’t think that, I’ve seen him do things at training at the (Ipswich) Jets.
“Especially speaking with his uncle Shane and his dad Ben about the things that he was doing in training.
“But what caps it off is the players at the Jets when he was training with him, they echoed what I’ve been told about him and what I’ve seen about him.
“He’s a fantastic talent, and I know this is coming from a proud uncle, but I don’t think we’ve seen the best out of him yet.
“There’s a lot more tricks in his bag to come, and I can’t wait to see him produce more.”
Walker was asked if rumours were true that the Broncos had tried to pressure the young star into signing two years ago by refusing to allow his parents in on contract negotiations.
“Unfortunately, for the great club that is the Brisbane Broncos, it's true,” Walker said.
“That came from Anthony Siebold, that they didn’t want Ben and Kylie (Sam's parents) to be there.
“I found that really strange, for a club like the Broncos. He was 16.”
After confirming that the Broncos tried to pressure Sam into signing with the club, Walker was asked what he felt they were thinking in trying the eyebrow-raising tactic.
“You probably have to ask Siebold, I’ve got my thoughts on it,” Walker replied.
“My first thought was that they were trying to pressure him into signing, that’s what I felt when I heard it.
“I felt they were trying to bully him into signing and not let his dad, who has a huge influence on his career, to not have a say when it mattered.
“It was really sad, I go for the Broncos, I love the club, and it’s sad to see what they’re going through at the moment.
“They could have had Sam as a 10-to-15-year player.”
The Roosters are now expected to announce a two-year contract extension worth $1 million for the 18-year-old this week.
Listen to the full chat below