Sam's all smiles as Roosters' finals charge gathers steam

Watching Sam Walker set up tries with 20-metre passes and deft grubber kicks, it's hard to believe the 23-year-old is only five games back from a knee reconstruction.

Missing the first half of the season as he recovered from the ACL injury, Walker’s NRL return was delayed further after breaking his thumb in training, only days after getting back on the paddock in NSW Cup.

In typically 'glass half full' fashion. Walker chose to put a positive spin on the thumb setback, even though it forced him to cool his jets a while longer.

“It was alright, there’s obviously worse injuries to have, so it was fine,” Walker said.

“It was a couple of weeks longer, gave me an opportunity to get my knee (better); a little bit more time that it may have needed and I feel really good now.

“I'm really happy at the moment … (being back in the team has) been really good; it’s obviously a great group of boys to look back into.

“I feel like my performance each week is building and getting better and better; and slowly I am starting to get to the footy that I want to be able to play.

“It’s an exciting group that we have got at the moment and we’re building at the right time.”

Instrumental in the Roosters' demolition of the Dolphins with three try assists, two line break assists and 10 conversions, Walker said his confidence was high and that he enjoyed playing alongside Savala.

“I’ve all been pretty positive and feeling really confident with my overall game at the moment and I think the boys are giving me a lot of confidence to go out there and do what I do best,” Walker said.

“Everyone’s hitting their straps at the right time.

"I spend a fair bit of time with him at the moment and he's a really exciting footballer to play with, his kicking game is unbelievable.

“He’s got a great composure as well for someone so early into his career and I'm really looking forward to building my combination with him.

“His control of the game is really impressive as well, and it allows me to play sort of my natural game there and I just want to be able to keep complementing him and vice versa.”

After drawing level with the Dolphins on 26 competition points and putting a massive hole in their differential, the Roosters now take aim at old rivals the Bulldogs on Friday night.

“It's obviously going to be a big challenge for us, they pipped us last time we played at the start of the year,” Walker said.

“They're a really good side and they're doing really good stuff at the moment and it's going to be a tough challenge for us, but I'm looking forward to it.

“We obviously want to play our best footy at the back end of the year … (and) we need to continue this on and keep building if we want to play finals for this year."