The one reason Souths star may lean towards retirement

By George Clarke 

Cody Walker will turn 37 next year and remains unsigned for the 2027 season.

But given his electric form, is there any reason why South Sydney wouldn’t want the experienced five-eighth to play on?

In the same week 36-year-old Ben Hunt inked an extension with Brisbane and 35-year-old Newcastle centre Dane Gagai signed a deal with the Broncos, Walker proved he is still one of the NRL’s great attacking mavericks by scoring two tries and setting up another in Thursday’s 32-12 win over Parramatta.

Walker has 14 try assists for the year and Bunnies coach Wayne Bennett has indicated his eagerness to keep the wily playmaker around beyond the end of this year.

The only person who may take some convincing is Walker.

“I haven’t really given it any thought,” Walker said of his future.

“I’m enjoying being out there and playing footy … I’m in no real rush to make a decision. I’ve got plenty of time to go.

“I’ve loved the game since I was three or four years old, and I’ll continue to love it – you’ll have to get me out of the game in a wheelchair because I’ll continue playing the game in some form.

“I’ll play some country footy and still get into it. At some point I’d love to play with the boys. My son Kian is 15 at the end of the year, and I’d love to play a game with him.”

Walker’s 2025 campaign was derailed by hamstring and calf issues but the five-eighth has featured in every game of Souths’ season to date.

He has struck up an immediate chemistry with rookie halfback Ashton Ward with the Bunnies firmly in the hunt for a top-four spot with an 8-6 record.

“I’m enjoying my footy again. I’ve had a few lean years with injuries – two years ago I was running on one leg with my knee,” Walker said.

“Last year was really disappointing with all the soft-tissue injuries when I played 11 games.

“I’m not great at watching, I get animated in the box, and Wayne probably hates that. I did a lot of that last year.”

Walker said there was one thing lingering in the back of his mind as he considers what his future holds.

“Confidence-wise, I feel like I can play on, there’s no question about that,” he said.

“But I’m not sure if I want to go through another pre-season.”