Sydney Roosters star Victor Radley insists he's "married" to England for the World Cup
Aussie hardman, 24, shocked many with his decision to pledge his allegiance to England - the land of his Sheffield Wednesday-supporting dad - but having arrived for the World Cup he's more excited than ever to do the jersey proud as he prepares to debut
Aussie Victor ‘The Inflictor’ Radley knows he’s now married to England - and he's not just enjoying a brief fling.
The Sydney Roosters hardman is set for his England debut against Fiji on Friday ahead of the World Cup opener versus Samoa. As one of the NRL’s best forwards, he’d been tipped for New South Wales State of Origin and Kangaroos honours. But, in a shock decision, Radley - who sought advice from Roosters boss Trent Robinson - chose Shaun Wane’s England given his dad hails from Sheffield.
He recalled: “I thought ‘I just want to play for England.’ I wanted to sit on it for a few months. And Robbo did say ‘It’s marriage, it’s not a girlfriend thing.’ But that feeling of wanting never faded away. My head was saying I could have a chance of playing Origin but I’d a feeling in my chest I couldn’t look away from. There must be generations of Yorkshire blood that just came out. And I’m stoked I’m over here now.”
Sydney-born Radley - nicknamed ‘The Inflictor' for his hard-hitting - started training with his England colleagues today. And his dad flies over to watch England v Greece at Bramall Lane on October 29. Two-time NRL champion Radley said: “He’s a Sheffield Wednesday fan. But it’s at Sheffield United so he says he’s not going to do a sh*t for three days before he gets there!
“He’s pretty simple. When I told him I was choosing England he didn’t even bat an eyelid. My old man doesn’t speak to me much! But he hasn’t lost his Yorkshire accent a bit and when he gets over here he just gets a little bit thicker when he’s with his mates. He’s very proud of being from Sheffield. He reckons it’s a hard place growing up and he reckons he's a hard man. But I’d probably still flog him! He’s told me about Sheffield a lot, though.
“I grew up working with him for four years and a lot of close people around us are English. I've been for World Club Challenges and always loved coming here, the people and what it’s about. A lot were telling me to do otherwise. Even my head sometimes was saying is this the smartest decision? But I backed my gut.”
The aggressive loose forward has had his fair share of disciplinary issues. But his presence will be massive as England bid to get off to a flyer against star-studded Samoa in Newcastle. Radley said: “They’ve got a good side. But we’re a good side. We’re going to go win the World Cup. My first phone call with Waney he told me that. That’s when I knew I’d made the right decision.”
And will he be ‘inflicting’ some of his famous punishing damage? He said: “I’m just going to do my job the best I can. But speaking to Waney, he’s a hard man, so I don’t think he’ll be disappointed if I try to flog a few people…”
Radley is a former Junior Kangaroo who was in New South Wales’ Origin squad earlier this year without actually playing. When it comes to his nickname, he explained: “I was young and playing in Roosters’ Under 20s. If you didn’t play - I was only 17 or 18 - you went back and played some A grade. And one of the lads there gave me the nickname after a game where I flogged some old dude! There was a big Victor The Inflictor sign at our Under 20s Grand Final and I guessed people just ran with it.”
He had one familiar face when he joined up for international training today - England’s record try-scorer Ryan Hall who was a Roosters team-mate in 2019 and 2020. Radley said: “I rang Hally when I was thinking about coming and he obviously said I’d love it. We were pretty close back in Australia so he gave me some good advice and helped me make my decision. I spent the night with him in Leeds the other night and it was good fun. He played a part in me deciding on England.
“I’ve enjoyed it today. I don’t really get nervous but on the flight over I was a bit. I had 24 hours by myself to think about all this but as soon as I met the team I knew exactly what they were going to be like. It’s good to know Hally and I know a few of them like Luke Thompson from back home so it’s good as gold. They are funny and everyone takes the pi*s out of each other and that’s what I’m about so it’s great.”
Australia, meanwhile, have seen a raft of talent join other nations including Penrith stars Jarome Luai and Brian To’o who will feature for Samoa and Gold Coast superstar David Fifita who has opted for Tonga. But Radley doesn’t believe that will weaken the reigning champions who remain favourites to lift yet another title.
He said: "I don’t think it does, not at all. Everyone’s different and everyone wants something, even me to pick this side. I love Australia. I love everything about it and love living there. But sometimes you get that feeling in your chest. For these people who are doing it for their families - and the right reasons - and gave enough notice, the Australia side is definitely not weakened. They are a bloody good side and hard to beat. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting a chance to play them.”
Wigan trio Sam Powell, Harry Smith and Liam Marshall plus Huddersfield’s Jake Wardle are members of England’s World Cup stand-by squad and they will all also feature against Fiji at Salford.
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