Walker no gun for hire
But Day’s greatest inspiration was Danny. For all his past accomplishments, which included two ironman series wins and a six Coolangatta Gold titles, Day had another – greater – reason to succeed.
“He’s my good luck charm,” Day said.
“(Since Danny’s birth) I’ve won the trial down here at Kingscliff and then I’ve gone on to win the next races. Now I have a lot more to fight for and inspire me and drive me.
“Looking at Danny in his eyes each morning I would tell myself ‘I’m going to work for him today’. That’s been my biggest motivating factor.”
But in the water on Sunday, as Day hit the beach in transition for the final leg of the gruelling eliminator event, he had another person at the forefront of his mind.
“It was all about getting myself in the box seat today – getting through the first race, getting through the second race and then in the last one really going for it,” he said.
“I was really inspired by someone like Shannon. I’ve done a lot of races with him before and in the last (leg) he would just always turn it on.
“I had moments in the ski leg thinking, ‘I’m going to win, I’m going to win’ but as an athlete you always have to go back to the process. And I did. But once I saw my brother on the beach and hi-fived him, then I saw my coach, and saw Trev (Trevor Hendy), that’s when the elation and the emotion of the moment hit me.”
The Surfers Paradise ironman promised to be back next year, ready to chase a fourth series title and edge closer to Eckstein’s incredible – untouchable – record.
“He’s won nine. I’ll never catch Shannon,” Day laughed. “He’s inspired me. Inspired me to keep going.
“That first (series win) felt a bit like a fluke all those years ago, and the second one maybe also a fluke – to win three, now I know it’s not a fluke anymore.
“When I came back the goal was to win a round. But I also wanted to leave a legacy for my family, and that’s by winning a series.
“I won my first one when I was 23 I think and now I’m almost 31. They’re hard to win; to do it six out of six is a pretty good way to do it.”
THE Sydney Roosters have been assured that young gun Sam Walker has no intention of using his exceptional arrival on the NRL scene as ammunition to spark a contract bidding war with rival clubs.
But privately the Roosters are still preparing to fast-track negotiations with the off contract Queensland halfback in the coming weeks as momentum builds for a second Brisbane team in 2023.
As much as the hype has been justified about Joseph Suaalii’s two-try effort playing
NSW Cup for North Sydney, Walker’s effort when coming on in the NRL trial against Canberra was phenomenal for a teenager who was playing his first competitive game since September 2019.
Whether it was his bulletlike passes, his confidence, class and composure, or his speed and energy when running the ball, Walker, 18, had good judges across the game dropping their jaws in disbelief.
And while Trent Robinson has already stated that Lachlan Lam has the inside running to partner Luke Keary in the halves this season, Walker was so impressive that it must surely create a selection dilemma going into the opening round.
But the other issue that the Roosters want to put to bed relates to Walker’s future.
Of course, his performance on Saturday will only make the former Ipswich Grammar student an even bigger target for rivals, especially with a new Brisbane franchise expected to get the green light for 2023.
But Walker’s agent Clinton Schifcofske was adamant Walker and his parents have shown no desire to leave the Roosters.
“He just wants to play some footy and the club have been awesome,” Schifcofske said.
“Trent (Robinson) has a really good relationship with Ben, Sam’s dad, they talk all the time. That is the right club for him. That is the right coach for him. He has the right teammates. It ticks every box.
“It is just about him playing some footy and they have been really good and accommodating with that. We will just work through it once he has got a few games under his belt.”
Asked if Walker would be chasing a long or short-term deal with the new Brisbane team in mind, Schifcofske added that the only concern was making sure his career on the field comes first.
“Mum and dad (Kylie and Ben) are good people,” Schifcofske said. “Down to earth and humble. And Ben is a pretty smart cookie himself. So it was always about him being aligned with the right coach who is going to enable him to play the footy that he best plays if that makes sense.
“Not coach it out of him which Robbo won’t do. He will bring it out of him.
“That is why they went there and that is most likely why they will stay there.”
With Keary (hamstring) missing against the Raiders, the Lam-Walker combination put to bed any concerns of how the Roosters might cope if their most chief playmaker misses a big chunk of the year.