Jack Walker is taking the advice of his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Ryan Hall as he prepares for a long-awaited return to competitive action.
A Grand Final winner at 18 and a regular for the two seasons following that 2017 success, the past couple of years have been an injury nightmare for the fullback.
A foot injury ruled Walker out for much of 2020 and then the entirety of 2021, while even this pre-season hasn’t been smooth, with Walker having torn his hamstring twice.
He has been back out on the pitch in pre-season with short spells against Bradford Bulls and Hull FC. Understandably he admits to being “rusty” after such a long lay-off and multiple operations.
It all took its toll but Walker won’t be worried about another recurrence or further misery when he steps out onto the field.
“There was a quote Ryan Hall said to me in 2017; he said ‘if you go into a game thinking you’re going to get injured, you’re probably going to get injured’,” said Walker.
“I’m not going to shy away from anything. If I get injured again, I get injured again. It is what it is.
“Hopefully, fingers crossed, we go alright. I’m going to be confident going into a game, not thinking about getting injured, but just cracking on.”
As well as taking a positive mental approach, Walker has also taken the physical step of bulking up in the gym to make his body sturdier.
He may have lost out on time to improve his skills and feel the benefits of further match experience at the top level, but he believes he will come back better than ever.
“I still feel like I’m a better player than I was two years ago,” said Walker.
“I’m a miles better player already and I’ve only had about 60 minutes’ worth of game time. The more games I play, the better I’ll become.
“I’m only 22, so I’ve still got my whole career ahead of me.
“A lot of people don’t make their debut until they’re about 22, so even though I feel like I’ve been around for ages, I’m still young.
“We’ve got a few things to work on still, but I’m always learning and we’ll just keep building.”
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