![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788175333_491_635402f1698dc5687fb8f98be5c093fe76cbc56f.png\")
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August 31, 2026 \u2014 7:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Sam Walker is gone for the season, but the similarities between the injured Roosters playmaker and his halves\u00a0 replacement, Hugo Savala<\/a>, are uncanny.<\/p>\n Both are strong ball-runners and excellent defenders \u2013 and, perhaps most crucially, both had a healthy dislike of South Sydney when growing up.<\/p>\n Walker, who has undergone ankle surgery after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the defeat to the Dolphins<\/a> on Saturday, refused to wear the Rabbitohs jersey as a boy, even though his father Ben and uncle Shane represented the club.<\/p>\n \u201cSam hated the Rabbits<\/a>, only because he was such an oppositional child,\u201d Shane told this masthead in 2024. \u201cEverything his dad wanted, he wanted the opposite; he was so defiant, nothing has changed \u2013 he\u2019s still an awful animal.\u201d<\/p>\n Now it can be revealed Savala, who will play in his preferred No.6 role alongside Daly Cherry-Evans in Friday night\u2019s derby, also ignored his mother\u2019s pleas to support the Pride of the League.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I moved over here from the UK, Elena Sutton, [Souths legend] John Sutton\u2019s mother, used to look after the boys, and when I told her I needed a rugby league team to follow, she said, \u2018You have to go red and green\u2019,\u201d Teresa Savala said on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cI still support Souths, but I could never convince Hugo. He even started in the Souths competition with the Coogee Dolphins, only for them to fold before he joined the Coogee Randwick Wombats.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Hugo has never gone for any other club but the Roosters. There was nothing I could do. I tried but failed. He always loved them. I\u2019ll go there on Friday night and cheer both teams.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd being a nurse, and knowing what both clubs will do for Jai Arrow [before kick-off], that\u2019s so heart-warming knowing the game is looking after people.\u201d<\/p>\n Savala has been a standout in the centres for the Roosters this year, but has always preferred the halves, where he played in his debut season last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What the Roosters loose with Walker\u2019s short kicking game and off-the-cuff approach, they gain in Savala\u2019s calmness and running game.<\/p>\n Cherry-Evans, 37, has been mentoring Savala along with Luke Keary, the club\u2019s two-time premiership winner and a key member of Souths\u2019 2014 drought-breaking title, who has been working in a consultancy role one day a week.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a young half coming in, it\u2019s a great situation to be in,\u201d said representative utility Connor Watson.<\/p>\n \u201cLuke has been great for us all year. He was there to help Hugo today with some stuff. Daly will take all the weight off Hugo and get us around the park. The Walker and Cherry-Evans combo, both of those guys play on ball at different times.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2019ll probably see Cherry take most of the on-ball stuff, and Hugo be a bit more out the back of shape. He\u2019s a great ball runner. \u2018Fluff\u2019 [Savala] can go and play his game, which is running well and defending well.\u201d<\/p>\n The return of Daniel Tupou on the wing will allow Billy Smith to shift to the centres, which is also his preferred position.<\/p>\n Related Article The Roosters have lost their past two games, but still secured a top-four berth courtesy of Cronulla\u2019s shock loss to Cronulla on the weekend.<\/p>\n The derby rivals will momentarily park their hostilities to honour Arrow, who will take the field to mark his 100th game then come to the sideline before a ball is kicked. Arrow, who was forced to retire this year after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, led Souths out for his 99th game against the Titans<\/a> in emotional pre-match scenes on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows you some things are bigger than rugby league, we\u2019re all behind Jai in his fight \u2013 the whole rugby league world has been since he announced [he had MND],\u201d Watson said. \u201cIt\u2019s been great to see NRL community get behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Hugo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1bae82b88de2da8f55484fd7d2a310fad81a7d61.jpeg\")
Hugo Savala at Roosters training on Monday.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n![\"Daly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/db5f1adb5afa94d0722c9ea8611370d088dc6f47.jpeg\")
Daly Cherry-Evans, Victor Radley and Hugo Savala share a laugh at training.Steven Siewert\/SMH<\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6cd25dc30ea5067b5d21b355b73ac81a604e6911.jpeg\")
Sam Walker (circled) next to dad Ben and brother Jackson at the 2006 Charity Shield match.<\/p>\n![\"Jai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9c557c8a9a6c93fd841527223d25f63e07c78039c0624d7f6fee981442730f46.gif\")
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