Young Rooster halfback Sam Walker continues to impress with his progress this season after being drafted into coach Billy Slater’s Queensland Origin squad as a reserve for last year’s series’ winning decider.

Walker keeps ticking boxes in the NRL that have him earmarked as a future Queensland Origin player.

Barring injury or suspension, Manly hero, Daly Cherry-Evans will lead the Maroon’s defence against NSW which kicks off in Adelaide on May 31 with the second game in Brisbane on June 21 and the third game in Sydney on July 12.

Cherry-Evans led the “worst Queensland side in history”, so dubbed that title by sections of the NSW Media to victory in the 2020 series and was at the helm again last year when the Maroons again upset the Blues 2-1 in the interstate series.

The good thing for Queensland and its Origin selectors is the growth of 20-year-old Walker who turned in another 5-star performance in his 50^th game for the Sydney Roosters recently.

His silky skills, vision, and ability to play off the cuff, defies his tender age.

His “harbour bridge passes are a joy to watch, precision perfect, his running game brilliant and his defence at times for a small man is heroic.

He finished the 28-20 win over the Eels with one line break, three tackle breaks, and a hefty 28 tackles —  many of them crucial — and returned a healthy 98 per cent tackle efficiency.

It’s those kind of stats and his instinctive style that Queensland selectors won’t be able to ignore for too long.

The son of former topflight NRL half, Ben Walker, young Sam is still learning the game but it’s hugely exciting to think of just how good he will look in a Maroon jumper when his Origin moment comes along in the future.

Ben was himself a brilliant, skilful player with the ball in his hands.

He played for five NRL clubs, 72 games for the Brisbane Broncos in the halves, and two English Super League clubs and scored a stack of tries.

His brothers, Chris and Shane also played in the NRL with Chris an absolute speedster who was FOGs #122 and represented the state six times.

Nathan Cleary will be NSW halfback for many more years, so to have Cherry-Evans and young Walker, an Australian Schoolboys halfback and last year’s NRL Rookie of the year, in the wings is exciting for Maroon fans.

For Sam Walker, it seems only a matter of time.