Jayden Walker (born 13 August 1996) is an Italy international rugby league footballer who is contracted to the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. He primarily plays as a second-row.
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 August 1996 Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 18 May 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life edit
The son of former professional rugby league footballer Shane Walker,[3] Walker played his junior rugby league for De La Salle Caringbah. He is of Italian descent.
Playing career edit
Walker was signed by the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks to play for their S. G. Ball Cup side, before moving into their National Youth Competition side in 2014.[4] On Australia Day in 2015, he was arrested for verbally abusing police and resisting arrest, having been initially approached by authorities for possessing alcohol in an alcohol-free zone.[5] In May 2016, he admitted to using recreational drugs and was banned from playing by the Sharks for 12 weeks.[6] Walker played 14 NYC games for the Sharks between 2014 and 2016.[7]
Walker was selected to represent Italy at the 2017 World Cup qualifying tournament in late 2016. He played in all 3 of Italy's matches, scoring a try against Russia.[8] In 2017, Walker played for the Sharks' feeder team, the Newtown Jets, in the New South Wales Cup. Walker scored a try for Italy in their 24–24 draw against Malta on 8 October,[9] and was a member of Italy's squad for the 2017 World Cup.[10]
In November 2017, Walker signed a one-year contract with the Penrith Panthers for 2018.[11]
International caps edit
| Cap | Date | Venue | Opponent | Competition | T | G | FG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
22 October 2016 | Makiš Stadium, Belgrade |  Serbia |
2017 World Cup qualifying | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
2 |
29 October 2016 | Stadio Brianteo, Monza |  Wales
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
| |
3 |
4 November 2016 | Leigh Sports Village, Leigh |  Russia
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
4
| |
4 |
8 October 2017 | Marconi Stadium, Sydney |  Malta |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4
| |
5 |
29 October 2017 | Barlow Park, Cairns |  Ireland |
2017 World Cup | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
6 |
5 November 2017 | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville |  United States
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
| |
7 |
10 November 2017 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |  Fiji
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
References edit
- ^ "Jayden Walker". Rugby League Project.
- ^ "2017 SQUAD | Newtown Jets". NSWRL.com.au. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "The Newtown Jets are determined to put an end to the New Zealand Warriors' unbeaten record". newtownjets.com. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
Newtown Jets second rower Jayden Walker, a product of the Cronulla Sharks junior system, has been in consistently good form this year. Jayden is the son of Shane Walker, the tough front-rower who played with St George, Eastern Suburbs, Balmain, Wests Tigers and Melbourne Storm between 1990 and 2002.
- ^ "Walker set for stardom". The Leader. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ Beichert, Kahlia (28 January 2015). "Sharks under-20s player arrested for abuse". The Leader. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Cronulla youngster Jayden Walker banned for three months for drug use". Daily Telegraph. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "W". NYC Database.
- ^ "Italy take the final RLWC2017 place". Rugby League International Federation. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Test Match, l'Italia pareggia 24-24 con Malta a Sydney" (in Italian). Federazione Italia Rugby League. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "Rugby League World Cup – Gli azzurri" (in Italian). Federazione Italia Rugby League. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ "Panthers reveals new recruits". penrithpanthers.com.au. 13 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.