Willie Walker latest to be axed by Worcester Warriors as Ollie Thomas looks set to join

Jun 13 2010 by Brian Dick, Sunday Mercury

WORCESTER points machine Willie Walker appears to have kicked his last goal for the Warriors.

The former New Zealand Maori has been told by new head coach Richard Hill he can look for another club.

The fly-half the latest high profile casualty of relegation after the exits of Chris Latham, Sam Tuitupou, Rico Gear and the loan to Edinburgh of Alex Grove.

The affable 32-year-old finished the season as the fourth highest scorer in the Premiership, and for many weeks was his team’s only source of points.

But it was the handful of costly misses rather than the 64 successful goals that lingered longest in the memory as Worcester’s six year stay in the top flight ended.

Two mistakes in the penultimate match at Leeds, both eminently kickable, proved terminal as the Warriors lost.

But while such inconsistency would have been one factor in Hill’s thinking, the recruitment of Andy Goode is of more relevance.

The England fly-half has committed to joining Warriors despite their demotion and has already arrived in the area ahead of pre-season.

The addition of Goode is a massive boost to a club that has lacked a top class No 10 since Shane Drahm left in 2008.

One possible destination for Walker is France but coming the other way is Ollie Thomas, Hill’s play-maker at his previous club, Racing Club Chalonnais.

The former Moseley fly-half made a good impression on Hill during their single season in Federale 1, in which they narrowly missed out on promotion.

And he has been identified as a contender to back-up Goode or even slot in at full back, a position in which he ended his Moseley career.

The 26-year-old, who turns 27 on Wednesday, brings a wealth of experience of life in the second tier following his time at Billesley Common.

He broke virtually every club scoring record before opting to move to Cornish Pirates for a season and a half.

He returned to Birmingham in early 2009, was part of the side that won the National Trophy at Twickenham and then accepted an offer to play in France.

It is likely Thomas will have to wait until Walker’s departure is confirmed at which point he will challenge Carlisle for his place in the match-day squad.