'I should defend myself': Cronk replies to awkward claim

League great Cooper Cronk has defended his position as an assistant coach for the Roosters, after reports of conflict following Sam Walker's demotion.Roosters coach Trent Robinson made the shock call to drop Walker to reserve grade this week in favour of shifting Luke Keary to No.7 with Joey Manu making the move to five-eighth for the Anzac Day clash against the Dragons.The move to drop Walker led to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald stating there's tension at the Tri-Colours over the way the club should attack and that members of Walker's family have let their feelings be known to the coaching staff.The report claims that the young playmaker's family is concerned about how much input Cronk has on the style of football Walker is expected to play.It's understood the family believes the structured style of play the Roosters have employed does not suit Walker's ad-lib style of football.Cronk was asked about the claims during Fox League's pre-game coverage on Thursday."I understand it's a huge talking point and you need to ask those questions no doubt and you should grill me."But the thing about this situation is, I feel like I should defend myself and my position, but it's not about me — it's about Sam."I think he's the most important part in all of this and my job is to help Sam to be the best version of himself — both on and off the field."My job is to do that and I'll do that as long as I can. I'll give every little bit of energy I can to that. I don't think it's about me, this is about Sam and he'll be back."There is room for Sam in every team, in any structure, any play."The kid can play and if he puts a couple of things together he'll be a very dominant half in this competition for a long, long time."Walker, 20, has played 52 NRL games since making his debut in 2021, 48 of those starting at either five-eighth or halfback.His style of play can be attributed to his father Ben and uncle Shane, who both played for the Broncos before co-coaching the Ipswich Jets to their maiden Queensland Cup premiership in 2015.