Danny Walker desperate to keep Warrington Wolves shirt

This time last year, his aim was similar to how it has been since he arrived at his hometown club – continued progression to show his readiness to succeed Daryl Clark.

Now, he faces a new campaign as a fully-fledged England international having featured in all four of the games his country played in 2023.

Perhaps more pertinently, though, with Clark gone he is now Warrington Wolves’ new number nine the fulfilment of a childhood dream for a proud Warringtonian.

While new signings Sam Powell and Brad Dwyer will no doubt have something to say about this, Walker is now “the man” for the hooking position. When keeping both Clark and Walker became unviable, they backed the younger horse.

The passing of the torch was arguably already complete before Clark’s decision to join St Helens, with Walker often picked to start while the long-serving dummy-half played off the bench or even out of position.

And with his new number proudly on his back, the 24-year-old is keen to keep it that way for as long as possible while changing nothing about how he approaches the game.

“It’s pretty surreal, and it’s an honour. Not just for me but for my family too,” he said.

“It’s about me maintaining it now and not losing it.

“Nothing changes for me. I’ve just got to back myself. I’m a big believer in getting the best version of myself if I do that.

“I’ve done that now in the last couple of years especially, so if I keep doing my thing hopefully I can keep hold of that shirt.

“If I can control the controllables which is myself playing well and doing the little things well, I don’t see why I can’t keep it for a very long time. That would be an absolute honour as well.”

The desire to stick to a process that has seen his career go from strength to strength speaks to the kind of character that is so valued around the dressing room.

Indeed, Walker is often picked out as a standout performer in training and his developing leadership skills have also been praised by those in and around the first team.

With that in mind, just how did he cope with an extended break from his favourite environment the training pitch following his international exertions?

“I actually enjoyed having a bit of a break this time around,” he admitted.

“Usually after a couple of weeks off, I’m desperate to get back in but last year was a pretty long year.

“I think I played in every game or close to it at least, so I felt like I needed a rest to let my body recover.

“I’m reaping the rewards of that rest now the body is feeling good and I feel pretty fresh.

“I kept on top of things as I didn’t want to fall too far behind what the boys were doing in training.

“I was hearing about how tough it was, so I wanted to be able to fit straight back in and hit the ground running.

“I came in just before Christmas and you could tell from the get-go that the lads are a very tight-knit group.

“I wanted to come and try and fit into that, and I feel like us England boys have done that.

“Everybody has set really high standards and we’ve had to catch up it’s been tough but very enjoyable.”

Of course, you will find similar lines about strong pre-seasons and bonds being built throughout Super League, and Warrington fans have heard things like this before.

As hometown boy Walker knows all too well, their burning question will be “how will things be different this time?”

Their thirst for success will always remain and while new head coach Sam Burgess has been keen to keep a lid on expectations for his first year in charge, they will always be there.

“At this club, there are always high expectations and this year will be no different,” Walker said.

“I believe in the team we’ve got here. I believe in every single player and I know what everyone is capable of.

“If we can bring the best version of ourselves to every training session and every game, there’s no reason why we can’t go and achieve good things.

“It goes back to controlling the controllables we all have to look after ourselves first and if we do that, hopefully we can succeed.”