The Rosellas playmaker said the pain was starting to subside on Wednesday and he may avoid surgery to repair damage to his nose, cheek and sinus wall.

"Still a bit sore but starting to settle a bit today," the 2017 Newcastle Rugby League player of the year said.

"As I understand it, I have one major fracture in my nose, one in my cheek and one in my sinus wall. Apparently there's a few very minor fractures around the main ones.

"The doctor didn't seem to think I will need surgery but I will wait until the swelling dies down and I see the specialist."

Walker, who was named man-of-the-match in last year's Newcastle RL grand final, said a return to the field in 2020 would be unlikely.

"I wouldn't think so," the 34-year-old said.

"Without surgery I'd imagine four-to-six weeks recovery. Just depends how I recover I suppose. Might be smart to sit the rest of this season out."

Walker's incident follows similar injuries to Central pivot Matt Atkins, who underwent surgery on a broken jaw on Friday, and Wyong captain-coach Mitch Williams, who came back earlier this month just 18 days after an operation to repair a fractured cheekbone suffered in round two.

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