DANNY Walker says he wants to make every minute count that he gets in a Wire shirt.

The Orford born-and-bred hooker has world-class competition for the role from Great Britain and England number nine Daryl Clark but is getting more game time this year than last under Steve Price.

He made great impact coming off the bench in the 70th minute last Sunday, scoring a match-levelling try against Leeds Rhinos that paved the way for George Williams to kick the last-minute winning drop goal on his debut for The Wire.

And he will lead the way from dummy half against Hull FC on Sunday due to Clark serving a one-match suspension for a trip in the same game.

England Knights international Walker, 22, who recently signed a 12-month contract extension until the end of 2022, is keen to make the most of the opportunity and has acknowledged some frustration at not always playing as many minutes in matches as he would like, though saying he understands the reasons why.

“I’m really enjoying it at the minute,” said the former Widnes Vikings ace.

“I think that’s probably come down to sorting a few things off the field as well. A happy life means a happy player at the end of the day.

“I feel like I went into the pre-season and knuckled down, put my head really into it and so far so good this year and hopefully I can keep progressing.

“Don’t get me wrong, it can be frustrating (the amount of game time) but at the same time I understand Daz is one of the best number nines in the world never mind Super League.

“I understand that side of it and that I’m young. I’m eager to go, and every minute counts when I get on the field. I just want to go out there and give 100 per cent effort and see where that takes me.

“There have been a couple of times when I’ve grabbed Pricey for a chat and spoke about things.

“But I think that’s just part and parcel of the game. Some players are going to be frustrated about not playing week-in week-out, but at the same time I understand Pricey’s reasons why sometimes he does hold me back.

“It can only benefit me in the long run.”

And being in the squad with Clark is helping him to improve his game, he said.

“It’s not necessarily from working one-on-one with him, it’s more watching him playing and in training that’s where I think I pick up a lot of little things that can help me out,” said Walker.

“It’s good on that side of things and learning off him every day. If you want to be the best you’ve got to play with the best and be around them and learn from them.”

Walker feels he is making valuable contributions to the team effort.

“I just compete as hard as I can for as long as I get and I give 100 per cent effort every time I step over the white line,” he said.

“I think my running game has been coming out a little bit more. I’ve just been confident, trusting in my own abilities and that’s what probably held me back for the first 18 months at Warrington.

“I stopped backing myself a little bit whereas now I think I’ve built up a little bit of confidence, I’m back to believing in myself and hopefully it keeps bringing out the best of me.”

His great vision and scoot from acting half-back for the aforementioned try against Leeds meant his 10 minutes of the bench at the end were key to the win.

Walker said: “It proved that way. The boys dug in deep for the 70 odd minutes I wasn’t on the field. They were there or thereabouts. Leeds had a couple of tired bodies on the field when I went on and I just took advantage of that.

“The message when I went on was to get into the game and try to make a difference. That’s all I try to do whenever I do come on off the bench, just try to bring something a little bit different and hopefully we get the win at the end of it which we did on Sunday.”

Price says having two quality hookers in the squad is important to the team’s ambitions of a successful season.

“It’s critical. If we want to be a successful organisation you need quality players in the spine and we feel as though we’ve got that as a team,” he said.

“It can be frustrating at times for Danny but for us to get to where we want to be we need everyone aligned and those guys certainly are.

“It can be hard when you’re a young bloke coming through. You want everything straight away and he’s a quality player.

“Danny understands that he’s going to be a big part of the future of our organisation and he’s still only young with a lot of great years ahead of him. He understands that he’s still evolving his game too and he’s learning off one of the best so it’s a good position to be in.

“Danny’s all about the team. It’s hard for him at times when he gets the tap on the shoulder because he’s back to the bench or if he has to miss out for that weekend, but he’s got a really good number nine in front of him. Everything’s about the team for Danny and that’s what I like about him.

“As players Daryl and Danny are a little bit different, but they’re great competitors. They fight for everything and that’s what I like about them.”