Walker's future not certain
August 14, 2001

Dumped Wallaby winger Andrew Walker will meet coach Eddie Jones next week to discuss his immediate future in international rugby.

Walker was dropped from the squad for Saturday's Tri-Nations clash against South Africa in Perth for disciplinary reasons after missing the Wallabies' connecting flight to Perth for family reasons. He failed to tell team management of his intentions.

Walker will turn out for Canberra team the Vikings this weekend in the Brisbane club semi-final against GPS and then meet Jones in Canberra next Tuesday.

The Brumbies flyer suffers from homesickness when away on long spells with the Wallabies and has spent the last few days with his pregnant wife and three children at his home near Yass.

"He was hit pretty hard by homesickness on last year's Wallaby tour to the UK and this extended tour of South Africa and New Zealand has been hard on him as well," a Brumbies source told AAP. "But he's taken it on the chin and to be honest he's more embarrassed by it all than upset. He just had some family issues to sort out."

It is not the first time Walker has disrupted his football career. In 1994 he left the St George rugby league club to return to the New South Wales south coast. He was eventually lured back to Sydney for an illustrious career with the Roosters, before switching codes and joining the Brumbies for 2000.

Jones developed a close relationship with Walker when he came over to the Brumbies and said the pair would discuss his eligibility for a return to the Wallabies squad for the final Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks in Sydney on September 1.

"I can only talk about my association with him as Wallabies coach," Jones said. "Up until this incident he has done everything correctly and has been a very valuable and significant member of the side.

"I think everyone's got past history, but we judge people on what we see and certainly Andrew hasn't got any track record in my time at the Wallabies."

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