Victor Radley opens up on NSW Blues debut, England background, Sydney Roosters ban

Eight months ago, State of Origin was the last thing on Victor Radley’s mind.

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The Roosters forward had just been caught up in a police investigation that saw former teammate Brandon Smith face allegations of drug supply and using inside knowledge for betting.

Radley himself was not charged with any wrongdoing, while Smith plans to plead not guilty.

But given Nick Politis had previously gone public with the club’s zero-tolerance policy to drugs, the Roosters supremo suddenly found himself in a tough spot.

The talk at the time was that Politis wanted to rip Radley’s contract up. That is, before Roosters coach Trent Robinson and director of football Mitch Aubusson stepped in.

Robinson was said to be particularly strong in his defence of Radley, who was later handed a 10-game ban without pay.

As it turns out, Radley would not have been making his Origin debut next Wednesday had the Roosters not been allowed to count three Ashes Tests and two pre-season challenge games as part of his ban.

It meant Radley was able to return in Round 6, giving him a chance to push for selection under the NRL’s new eligibility laws.

So, here he was now, not just still a Sydney Roosters player but now a NSW Blues debutant.

Radley didn’t want to talk too much about his suspension or just how close he was to facing the sack at the Roosters, having put all of it “behind me”.

But he was emphatic in telling reporters he “never had a worry whatsoever about being wanted”.

“That all unfolded as it did... since I have dealt with it, I have put it behind me,” Radley added.

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Instead, Radley wants to soak up every single moment of his first State of Origin camp.

So much so that when he got the call from Laurie Daley on Sunday afternoon, the first thing he did after telling his parents and partner Taylah was delete all his social media.

It meant that when Radley was asked about coming up against Sam Walker next Wednesday night, he actually had no idea his Roosters teammate had even been picked.

“Was he picked at halfback? That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that,” Radley said.

This coming from someone who quickly developed a reputation for pushing the boundaries with his aggressive playing style on the field.

But away from it, there is clearly a different side to Radley. One that is far more introspective than most people give him credit for.

So, the focus this week for Radley is to “be really present in the moment”.

That extended to the team’s open media session on Monday afternoon at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence in Sydney Olympic Park, where Radley admitted he had “never seen so much media in my life”.

“It’s unreal,” he added, recalling how he could still remember going to school on a Thursday morning, his mood determined by whether the Blues had won or not.

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Radley may not have been eligible to play for the Blues under old rules, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a fervent New South Wales fan growing up.

He didn’t stay up late usually on school nights as a kid. 7.30pm was the typical bedtime. Origin night was the exception.

“It was the greatest game of the year,” said Radley, reminiscing on iconic Origin moments like Paul Gallen’s whack on Maroons forward Nate Myles.

“It’s awesome that I’m going to get a chance to play in that game.”

Radley won’t have to change his ways either, with Blues coach Laurie Daley declaring “I picked Victor to be Victor”.

“I’ve got that kind of blessing from the Roosters too,” Radley said on Monday.

“I know that I kind of get some grief for it, but Robbo is pretty clear on how he wants me to play. It’s never going to be in the style that isn’t about going after the opposition.”

Radley has actually reined his reckless ways in recent years, with the Roosters forward only suspended for one week since the middle of 2023.

He has, however, been charged 22 times in his career — the fourth-most in the NRL era behind Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (38), Nelson Asofa-Solomona (26) and Josh McGuire (24).

Radley is also equal second for sin bins (11) with Waerea-Hargreaves behind Latrell Mitchell (13), although again five of those came in a seven-game stint between 2022 and 2023.

Radley said he “couldn’t care less” if anyone north of the border wants to make him out to be Queensland’s public enemy number one given his lengthy rap sheet.

“You’ve just made that a story. I’m never loved, no matter what I do,” he laughed.

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