Sam Walker has "one final set of tests" to get through on his injured knee before being cleared to return to action, Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson says.
The halfback's imminent return is good news for the Roosters as they aim to win their remaining six NRL games and clinch a finals place.
Walker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain, or partial tear, while playing for North Sydney Bears against the New Zealand Warriors in the NSW Cup on April 30.
It is an uncommon injury and, while not a complete rupture, the knee was weakened and made susceptible to a more serious injury.
The 21-year-old Walker saw a specialist in Townsville on Monday and the results were positive.
Ahead of the Roosters clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night, Robinson was asked to give an update on Walker and his trip to Townsville.
"The facts are that he didn’t go up (to Townsville) to sign a contract with someone else, which was funnily reported behind the scenes on Monday," Robinson said.
"He went up there to see a specialist in Townsville on his knee. He is getting pretty close.
"He has gone back to Sydney to train the rest of this week. There is one final set of tests on Monday and then we’re looking forward to getting him back into some footy.
"With the stop-start nature of these tests you don’t get a continued progression on your training or knee progression, so it has been a bit rocky the last couple of weeks.
"So to get some progression there would be good over the next couple of weeks, and back into playing."
Robinson said it was a relief the initial diagnosis on Walker's knee didn't reveal a full rupture of the ACL.
The last hurdle for Walker to overcome in his rehabilitation is the progression of his running and change of direction.
"That’s been the last little bit we needed to get (right) and that has taken a few weeks," Robinson said.
"He is an agile guy, a speed guy and a 360-degree guy, so we want to make sure that is in the right place."
Walker was dropped from first grade after the round-seven clash with Cronulla but the intention was always for him to work on his game and return to the side.
"It is a big one for us to have him available, that hasn’t been the case for three months," Robinson said.
"That has given the opportunity for (halfback) Sandon (Smith) to come in and he has progressed and performed well."
