South Sydney veteran Cody Walker has given the strongest indication that he wants to play on in 2027, but he insists contract negotiations are the furthest thing from his mind at the moment as he prepares to return to the finals next week.
Walker will be 37 in January but is showing no signs of slowing down, with the classy five-eighth setting up 35 tries this season, two shy of his career-best 37 in 2021 when he led the Rabbitohs to the grand final.
The club announced last September that he’d signed a one-year extension, and Walker hopes the parties can agree on something similar in the coming months.
Souths have a number of big decisions to make with Latrell Mitchell, Tallis Duncan, Brandon Smith and Campbell Graham just some of the stars off-contract at the end of 2027.
“I want to go around again and I’d love to sort that out, but it’s probably the furthest thing from my mind at the moment,” Walker said.
“I had a massive focus and goal on doing everything I possibly could leading into the pre-season last year to get my body right, to handle a full season of NRL, and to help myself, my teammates, and our club get into the finals series.
“That’s always been my focus, and we’ve achieved that. But it means absolutely nothing without putting all of our focus in and having a good run into September and hopefully onto that long weekend in October.
“All of that contract stuff for next year will sort itself out in the background. Over the last couple of years when I’ve come off contract, I’ve always left it to the back end of the year without rushing into any decision.
“So whenever the club wants to sit down with my management and talk, I’m sure they’ll work out when the time is right. But I’m happy to play on again, I’d love to play on again. We’ll just see what happens.”
Walker only played 11 games in 2025 as he battled a series of soft tissue injuries, but his health hasn’t been a concern this year as his body reaps the benefits of a later start to life in the NRL.
The playmaking genius didn’t make his debut until he was 26 which is incredibly rare these days when emerging stars are thrust into first grade as teenagers.
“I came into the first-grade system quite late. I’d already been around the traps a little bit through the reserve grade system,” he said.
“A lot of these young kids come in at 18 and they have shoulder injuries and things, which is quite hard to come back from when you’re quite young.
“I think that’s worked in my favour throughout my career and my journey, so we’ll see what happens. I’m sure the club and my management will go down that path when they think the time’s right and we’ll sort something out.”
The Rabbitohs have indicated that they want to keep him, and Walker says those close to him will work hard to get a deal done.
It would be in their best interests to keep him given they need experience in the halves to partner Ashton Ward who gets to work with an all-star forward pack featuring Payne Haas, Cam Murray and David Fifita next year.
“You leave it to your management company, they sit down and deal with all that stuff,” he said.
“I’m comfortable with where my footy is at the moment. All my focus and energy is into doing everything I can to have a deep run into September footy and see how far we can go.”
Originally published as ‘I’d love to play on’: Cody Walker reveals his 2027 plans as the Rabbitohs prepare for November 1 frenzy