Repaying NRL teammates a focus for Radley

Scott Bailey | March 2, 2022

Victor Radley admits he let his teammates down in 2021, saying he failed to step up as a Sydney Roosters leader after missing a third of the NRL season in bans.

Radley has managed to get a full pre-season under his belt in Bondi this summer, returning with the first group of players after managing just 16 games last year.

After missing the opening round on return from an ACL injury last year, Radley sat through a two-game ban for an off-field incident.

He then returned before copping five matches in suspensions from three charges in one game, before later serving a three-game ban for a high tackle.

Radley’s behaviour at one stage prompted coach Trent Robinson to tell him to grow up.

The bans also cost him a NSW jumper and the lock now admits he felt like he didn’t carry his weight last year while determined to make up for it in 2022.

“I am looking forward to paying a bit back. I didn’t really hold my weight last year,” Radley said.

“Jared (Waerea-Hargreaves) and Siosuia (Taukeiaho) were carrying this team through a tough year, it was really difficult (watching on).

“The last two years I haven’t played as much as I would have liked to.

“I spoke last year about how I wanted to be a leader, and I didn’t really do that.”

Radley’s comments come as he declared he wants to be a Rooster for life, already signed until the end of next year but inspired by Robinson’s new five-year deal at the club.

On the field, the 23-year-old has also worked hard to fix technical issues in defence that led to his bans.

He was adamant last year he did not need to tone down his aggression, but has worked hard to lower the risk of making split-second defensive errors.

“I’ve worked on a lot of stuff around my footwork and my shoulder level at times,” Radley said. 

“My footwork is stuff I have been working on for years. 

“Not over striding and getting myself into positions where I can’t make split-second decisions where it ends badly.”