Roosters halfback Sam Walker has revealed the surprise blueprint between he and new five-eighth Daly Cherry-Evans as the club looks to turn around its floundering attack against Manly this week.
But one former State of Origin playmaker, along with NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley, is not convinced it is the right move.
The under-siege halves pairing has been heavily scrutinised in the opening weeks of the 2026 NRL season – as poor errors and a lack of discipline have stymied the Roosters attack.
In last week’s 40-4 drubbing to the Panthers, the Roosters debuted their long-term spine combination of James Tedesco, DCE, Walker and Reece Robson, after the latter’s return from injury.
While it was a poor first outing for the quartet, Walker believes the combination will finally fire in the Roosters’ important clash against Manly on Thursday – DCE’s first match against his former club.
Speaking on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday, Walker said the Roosters were determined to make amends for their struggling attack.
“I think as disappointing as it (the loss to Penrith) was, we’ve had to move on quickly,” Walker said.
“We’ve got Manly on Thursday which is a massive game and the longer we dwell on that the harder it is the play against Manly.
“I’m really enjoying playing alongside DCE. It hasn’t been the perfect start that we wanted but I think that’s been the whole of the team.
“We’ve got a lot of improvement collectively and I think the quicker that I can find my football and the quicker he can find the way that he wants to play as well, the quicker the combination will build.
“We’re definitely heading in the right direction and we’ve had the right sort of conversations about it this week as well.”
Asked specifically about who the Roosters could count on in big attacking moment, Walker paused, before telling the Big Sports Breakfast panel the side would employ a blueprint where he and DCE control their own respective edges in attack.
“I think we both sort of control our edge, I know I’ll try and steer my edge in the right direction and he (DCE) will do the same,” he explained.
“Teddy will collectively lead the team as a voice. We all try to find our roles within those critical moments.”
That admission caught the panel by surprise given it somewhat goes against the Roosters’ original pre-season plans to have he and DCE floating between different sides of the field.
According to Big Sports Breakfast host Josh Reynolds, the more rigid style of attack isn’t doing Walker or the Roosters any favours. The Roosters are currently the fourth-worst attacking side in the competition – based on points scored – after the first three rounds.
“Yeah I think (he’s needs the freedom),” Reynolds said. “That’s how he played without Cherry-Evans there.
“Sam has to stand up for himself as the halfback and own it.”
Cherry-Evans told media this week that his side was “working around the clock” to get the Roosters attack firing, ahead of the critical game against Manly.
“At the moment it hasn’t been to the level that we believe we can play to but the reality is that its round three, so we’ve got to take our lessons from the first three weeks and play towards what we believe is our best footy,” he said.
Blues coach and Big Sports Breakfast host Laurie Daley said the Roosters would need more time to judge whether the new-look attack is the right approach. But ultimately, the Roosters needed someone in attack to step up in the big moments – and as of now, they haven’t yet decided who that is.
“You’ve got a bit of confusion going on there, and it’s like ‘will I say something, will I not’ – they’re still trying to work that out,” he said.
Daley added: “You can only answer that in 10 weeks’ time. You can only answer that after they’ve had a number of games together and to see how things are unfolding.
“There are some things that I’ve seen that, yes, it can work but Sam (Walker) is a guy that loves that freedom and I think he plays and see the game quickly than most… He’s a really smart player.
“All halves look after their edge, first and foremost … but you also need someone on the ball…. to have someone strong in their belief of what the system is going in and what we’re not doing right under pressure. That’s the person that you take your cue from.
“When I played it was Ricky Stuart. Even though he wasn’t the captain, everyone looked towards Ricky to say, ‘righto what are we doing’.
“That’s what a controlling No.7 does for a footy team, it’s under pressure moments when you’re looking for guidance, who is it that you turn to. Who is it that you trust who has got the best information to give to you to get you back into the contest?”
The Roosters attack has been a hot topic to start the 2026 season. The side struggled in their first-round loss to the Warriors, before bouncing back in an encouraging performance against the Rabbitohs in Round 2.
According to Monday night’s NRL 360 panel, the same problems continue to undermine Trent Robinson’s side.
“They lead the NRL in errors and penalties and that’s their biggest problem,” the Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read said.
“We talked about it last week, the errors they’ve made and the penalties they’ve conceded in previous years. That’s been their Achillies Heel, and you have to say on the basis of the first three weeks, it’s still their Achilles Heel.
“When you make the mistakes they’ve made over the first three weeks, you don’t give yourself a chance to win the comp.”
Walker is no stranger to slower starts to an NRL season – he has started with 1-3 records in five out of six seasons as an NRL player – but he said a win against Manly would buoy the Roosters ahead of their round five bye.
“This game is huge,” Walker told BSB on Tuesday.
“We’ll be putting everything into this week knowing how important it will be. Especially for Chez (DCE).”
