“He’s such a good person and so easy to talk to, I enjoyed picking his brain, what he was thinking in certain situations and what he would do in certain moments,” Walker said of the former Queensland Maroons captain.
“He’s a captain at the highest level, so his leadership and understanding how he can affect a certain training session or a match, not just with the way he plays but with his leadership, that’s special and something I’m learning.”
Captain James Tedesco takes part in a beach session at Bondi on Tuesday.Credit: Sam Mooy
“We’re starting to build a nice combination. The next couple of weeks before the trials are crucial and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do.” [in terms of who wears the No. 7]but our roles will be quite interchangeable. We both want to be able to move and play both ways.
“He just has a very calm presence that makes me feel confident doing my own job.
Cherry-Evans played a club-record 352 games for Manly, captained the Sea Eagles for almost a decade and also led Queensland to Origin glory before signing with the Roosters.
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Tedesco said Cherry-Evans’ communication skills helped him and the arrival of such an experienced fighter late in his career made it easier to draw comparisons with Cooper Cronk, a Melbourne favorite who joined the Roosters in 2018.
“I’m not the main voice, ‘Cherry’ has been the captain of his country and team for a long time and the way he can send a message to the team very clearly and calmly is something we’ve all noticed and enjoyed so far,” Tedesco said.
The Roosters bombed in week one of the finals but added Cherry-Evans to their list along with NSW Origin slugger Reec Robson, while prop Naufahu Whyte and returning rugby powerhouse Mark Nawaqanitawase were standout performers in their positions last year.
Nawaqanitawase will leave the Roosters at the end of the season to join a a lucrative contract in Japanese rugbyworth more than $1 million a season before we focus on the Wallabies and their World Cup campaign on home soil next year.
Tedesco said Nawaqanitawase grew in confidence with each performance, but now that opponents know what to expect, he will have to improve again.
“Last year he was a bit of an unknown, no one knew how he would play or what he would offer, but despite the extra attention [from, opposition teams]”I know he’s going to have a big impact,” Tedesco said.
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