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“We made him watch Russell Crowe in Master And Commander one night, and that was the real breaking point. He never wanted to wear a Souths jersey again. That movie was just too much for him.”

When Sam was presented with his jersey before making his NRL debut for the Roosters, Ben told those in the room about the night Sam burst into tears watching a tight derby loss. He rarely showed emotion, but seeing Souths score two tries in the final two minutes to snatch victory in 2012 was too much.

“Adam Reynolds scored the winner,” said Shane, who was at the family home in Ipswich that night. “The whole family turned on Sam. He stormed upstairs, slammed his door, and went to bed in tears. It’s one of the few times we’ve seen him cry.

“When he went to bed, he made a point of turning the Roosters’ team poster back to front so the players faced the wall.”

The Walkers loved the heated battles against the Roosters, including a vicious 17-16 win in round 24, 2005 which featured Ben kicking the winning field goal.

“Ben took it upon himself that night to rip into the Roosters – his first tackle of the game was somewhere between Joel Monaghan’s chin and eyeballs, and it set the tone for the night,” Shane said.

The Walkers will be at Allianz Stadium for the round-three derby, and will be there to support Sam. The 21-year-old has had several running battles with his Souths namesake, Cody Walker, in recent matches.

“We love rugby league, and what jersey he wears is irrelevant – I’m rooting for Sam as a nephew and bloke and a player more than any jersey,” Shane said.

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