In 1998, Jason Herbison from "Inside Soap" reported that Rebecca O'Dare had signed up to play Sam's new love interest Pam Edmondson. He added that the storyline was scheduled to last a "couple of weeks" and would not really develop much. In another storyline Sam begins a relationship with Hayley Smith (Bec Cartwright). Their relationship takes "a battering" and he turns into a "green-eyed monster" when Hayley becomes friends with Mitch McColl (Cameron Welsh). Sam ends his relationship with Hayley because of Mitch. The serial's website also stated that Sam and Hayley "had so much in common" and "were good mates apart from anything else".