Name Chris Walker Height 1.83 m | Role Rugby player Weight 92 kg | |
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Chris Walker (born in 27 February 1980, in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football in the National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta Eels. Walker also had a stint in Super League for French club Catalans Dragons. He is the younger brother of fellow professional NRL players Shane Walker and Ben Walker. At one point in the late 1990s all three brothers were playing together for the Brisbane Broncos.
Playing career
While attending St. Mary's College, Toowoomba, in 1996, Walker was selected to play for the Australian Schoolboys team. While with the Brisbane Broncos, he also played for the Past Brothers in the Queensland Cup.
Having won the 2000 NRL Premiership, the Broncos traveled to England to play against 2000's Super League V Champions, St Helens RLFC for the 2001 World Club Challenge, with Walker selected for the interchange bench in Brisbane's loss. He played for Queensland in all 6 State of Origin matches in 2001 and 2002. Walker scored in all three games of the 2001 State of Origin series. Also, along with Lote Tuqiri and Darren Lockyer, he was the top try-scorer for the Broncos in the 2002 season. Walker was also a try-scorer in the Roosters' loss in the 2003 NRL Grand Final. He also scored a try in the following year's Grand Final loss to the Bulldogs.
Walker gained a reputation as a "bad boy" of rugby league. In the 2004 NRL season he was involved in a drunken altercation with police outside a Fortitude Valley nightclub The Roosters club fined the winger and placed him on an alcohol ban for the rest of the season. He returned to play on the wing and score a try for the Roosters in their 2004 NRL Grand Final loss to cross-Sydney rivals, the Bulldogs.
In August, 2006, Walker was dropped by Melbourne Storm and was not picked up by any other NRL club. Then in November it was announced that he had been given a trial with the Gold Coast Titans. In early March 2007 after a series of strong performances in pre-season trial matches with the Titans, Walker signed a one-year deal with the Gold Coast club. In the first NRL premiership game for the new club Walker scored two tries, but then broke a bone in his hand early in the second half.
In April, 2007, while sidelined with injury, Walker was reported to have been ejected from a bar after for "bad behaviour". The Gold Coast Titans suspended him as a result and it was later revealed that Walker had been suffering from alcoholism and an anxiety disorder. After a period of rehabilitation and several games in the Queensland Cup, Walker returned to the NRL in Round 19 against the Bulldogs.
In 2008 Walker suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon for the second time in five months.
In 2009 he attracted interest from European Super League clubs, but said he did not want to play in Europe and he would prefer to stay in the NRL with a Queensland team.
Chris has signed a two-year deal with the Catalans Dragons in France.
He returned to the NRL in 2011 to play with the Parramatta Eels.
Chris Walker approached Eels officials for permission leave the NRL club after a string of injuries. He retired from the NRL at the end of the 2011 season.
He returned to playing with Ipswitch Jets and recently played in the state final where the Jets defeated Newcastle.