Keary fit for Roosters in NRL round one

Luke Keary has declared himself fit to play in the Sydney Roosters' NRL season-opener, ending 12 months of waiting to join Sam Walker in the halves.

Keary missed the majority of last season after suffering an ACL tear in March that ended his year early and left him out of the club's bubble.

He then opted to undergo ankle surgery in December, fed up with the bone bruising suffered in 2019 that had become more of an issue over time.

That prompted coach Trent Robinson to claim as recently as last weekend Keary was unlikely to face Newcastle on March 12, after sitting out both trials.

But Keary has confirmed he will be fit for the match, making the Roosters at full-strength.

He said he could have played in the pre-season match against Canberra if needed.

"It's a pretty simple procedure and pretty easy to come back from," Keary said.

"I've had a really good month of preparation, probably could have played the trial last week. But I was just held back.

"I am super excited (to play round one)."

The Roosters enter this season as genuine premiership contenders, ready to see the silver lining of their injury-riddled 2021 campaign.

Much of that favouritism is based on the combination of Keary and Walker, who were touted by most before last season to be the Roosters' long-term halves.

Walker was managed well by coach Trent Robinson last season after debuting following Keary's injury, but still set up 21 tries from 21 games while coming off the bench in four of them.

"He's had a huge pre-season," Keary said.

"Obviously he was thrown in just a tad early but he showed everyone what he can do. I have seen him come of age this year."

Walker is also now confident he can start each week and play 80 minutes, having bulked up slightly in the