Annalise Hartman catches Sam's eye, but she is engaged to Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan) who she is living with. Squirrel, one of Brett and Danni's classmates, takes a liking to Sam after he chaperones a dance. Sam rebuffs Squirrel, but she later returns and tells him he is the father of her baby. This is proved to be untrue when Danni urges Squirrel to confess. When Annalise returns after a holiday to get over Mark jilting her at the altar and later a cancer scare, Sam confesses his love for her and the two become an item. Sam's father, Patrick (Shane Porteous) arrives in Erinsborough keen to build bridges with his son but Sam is less than eager to reconcile with him as he and his mother had often left Sam in Marlene's care as a child while they furthered their careers. Sam is further angered when Patrick tells him that he has separated from Sarah, Sam's mother. The two men eventually reconcile after a going on a Bush Retreat.