The NSW Waratahs have re-signed tough-as-teak centre Joey Walton for 2026.
Walton has been one of the most consistent players for the NSW Waratahs this year, playing in thirteen of their fourteen 2025 Super Rugby Pacific games.
From Warnervale on the NSW Central Coast, the Gordon club member played twelve games in the run-on side for the NSW Waratahs and one game off the bench this season. He missed Round 3 against the Fijian Drua with injury.
Walton, whose NSW Waratahs debut was against the Queensland Reds in 2020 and has forty-five caps, played the full game in every one bar two in 2025.
He went off for a yellow card against the Hurricanes in Round 7; and versus Moana Pasifika in Round 8 he played fifteen minutes off the bench.
From a possible 1,040 minutes, he played 965 minutes for the NSW Waratahs.
Walton is thrilled to stay with the NSW Waratahs after a season that in year one under Head Coach Dan McKellar saw them claim six wins (five of them at home) and finish eighth – bettering last year’s two wins and last place finish.
"I’m stoked to be staying at the ‘Tahs. I love this team and really enjoy it here,” he said.
Asked for his main take away from a season that ended last Saturday with a 46-6 loss to the Blues, Walton replied: "We need to improve our consistency.
“The positive is that our good games are really good … we just need to do it more often."
Next up for Walton and the NSW Waratahs is their blockbuster fixture against the British & Irish Lions on 5 July at Allianz Stadium, Moore Park in Sydney.
The NSW Waratahs will reassemble at their base at Daceyville in Sydney next week to begin their preparation for the Lions clash.
"I'm so excited about potentially playing against the Lions," Walton said.
"It’s something I have thought about since I went and watched the Tahs v Lions at Allianz in 2013."
NSW Waratahs Head Coach Dan McKellar welcomes Walton's re-signing, saying: “He's NSW through and through, one of those players you really value.
“He’s here most days. He’s such an important, consistent part of what we do.
“He drives standards hard and has high standards of himself, challenges others; but most importantly he has backed it up with quality performance.
“It hasn’t been easy for him this year. He has had to play with injury and play through pain; and people don’t see that. That in itself is a talent.
“It’s nice to have that consistency, having Joey in the midfield a couple of more years.”
