For a third time round, South Sydney Rabbitohs sensation Cody Walker will be running onto Glen Willow this weekend to contest in the 37th annual Westfund Charity Shield.
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Having played at the 2018 and 2019 Charity Shield rounds in Mudgee, and having appeared at various other Country games, Walker is rather aware of what the Mid-Western region boasts.
"The times I've played at Mudgee have been great, it's got a wonderful facility. It's a great occasion to go out there and mix in with the community," Walker said.
Coming from a regional town himself, the five-eighth knows all too well the importance of visits from high quality players out to areas far from metropolitan destinations.
"It'll be good to let them get a taste of what a lot of the Sydney boys and girls get to experience," he said.
"I think that's the beauty of rugby league, we're in a great position to inspire our younger youth.
We were once that little as well and we know the effect those types of visits had on us, there's not a rugby league player that doesn't think that way.
- South Sydney Rabbitohs five-eighth, Cody Walker
With Adam Reynolds being selected as the Rabbitohs' captain on February 25, Walker says it'll all be business as usual, while the first time loss of Sam Burgess and John Sutton will be replaced by some fresher additions to the squad.
"I don't think it [Reynolds captaincy] will make too much of a difference, it's a great decision that Wayne's made," Walker said.
"Adam gets us around the park pretty well, he's a calm head and well respected among the group so he is a deserving captain.
"They're [Sam Burgess and John Sutton] obviously highly experienced players, they'll be a huge loss but we've gained different players throughout the years with the emergence of Cameron Murrary and Liam Knight ... It's an opportunity for those guys to step up and for us as leaders to take on that leadership role.
"We're fairly excited about the year ahead and the new group coming through."
With the recent signing of former Sydney Roosters gun Latrell Mitchell, the now Rabbitohs centre will play his first game in red and green on Saturday.
"He's been training really well, his skill levels are amazing, I can't wait to play with him out the back," Walker said.
"I haven't played with him when he's been at fullback before and we've only spent a small bit of time on the training park but we've seen what he's capable of, we're looking forward to playing with a guy like Latrell."
Although the Rabbitohs are in with a shot at taking out eight Charity Shield wins in a row, it is said to not be a driving factor with heavy importance set on putting training into action to 'gauge' everyone's performances ahead of round one of the 2020 NRL derby.
"I don't think the record has been spoken about so it's not something that's driving us but it'd be nice to get a win," Walker said.
Winning is a bonus but it gives us a great gauge of where we're at, it'll give us an opportunity to put what we've been training for over the summer to work.
"I'm looking forward to building combinations throughout the Charity Shield."
The 2020 Charity Shield will be held at Glen Willow Stadium on February 29 with a 7pm kick-off.
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
