Walker parts ways with Melbourne Storm
Tuesday Aug 1 19:58 AEST
Melbourne winger Chris Walker will return to Sydney to sort out personal issues after being released by the Storm and has been offered to five NRL clubs for next year.
Walker's experiment with a long-distance relationship with Sydney-based soap star Kate Ritchie is over, but both his agent and the Storm said a recent run-in with police at a Melbourne hotel Ritchie was staying at was not linked to his departure.
"He's just got a lot of personal issues, some to do with his own personal relationships but also some family issues he wants to deal with," agent Chris Orr said.
"It's all just got on top of him at the moment so he just doesn't think he can focus on football right now.
"He didn't feel like he could sort it out in Melbourne, he had to be based where it is."
Storm chief executive Brian Waldron said he didn't think it was fair to link the hotel incident with Walker's release from the club.
"Chris has just got some issues that he needs to deal through, we've got some games that we need to win and some finals to play.
"We were happy to release him and allow him to concentrate on what he needs to and allow us to concentrate on what we need to."
Walker was reportedly removed by police from the hotel after staff refused to allow him to visit Ritchie's room.
Hotel staff called the police after repeatedly asking Walker to leave and he was taken to a nearby police station but was not arrested or charged and was picked up by friends.
Walker's crisis caps a bad year for the league-playing family.
Brothers Ben and Shane have been told their services are no longer needed at South Sydney as new owners Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe put a broom through the club.
Chris, 25, has had his share of troughs in a career that includes two grand final peaks - with Brisbane and the Sydney Roosters - as well as a mid-season walk-out on the Rabbitohs in 2003 and a sacking by the Queensland Origin side after a drunken night out a year later.
He has played just seven matches for the Storm this year, struggling to win a place in Melbourne's star-studded backline.
Orr said Walker would "probably" not play again this year but he had spoken to Wests Tigers, Newcastle, the Bulldogs, Parramatta and Gold Coast about his client for 2007.
Walker came close to signing with the Tigers this year and Orr said the joint venture club could get serious soon.
"They're chasing the likes of Pat Richards, if he's unavailable in the next 24-48 hours then they might turn their attention to Chris Walker and if they do then we'll sit down and discuss seriously about Chris joining the Wests Tigers," Orr said.
In a statement, Walker said: "I feel it is best for everyone that I address these issues immediately, I believe I can't do that successfully in Melbourne and need to return to Sydney.
"However I believe once I have addressed these personal and family issues I can once again focus on my football.
"At only 25 I believe I have another five years left in me at the top level."
Meanwhile, Waldron said the Storm's round 26 home game against Manly was likely to be played at Olympic Park despite being scheduled Tuesday with the venue "to be confirmed".
Waldron said the club was showing courtesy to organisers of an athletics carnival booked for the venue on the morning of the match, on September 2, but expected it to go ahead at the ground.
©AAP 2006