Mr September: Victor Radley the NRL finals lucky charm for Roosters

They’re the men ready to blow the NRL finals wide open. BRENT READ crunches the stats to reveal who your team will rely on to be successful in September.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 26: Victor Radley of the Roosters \ during the round 26 NRL match between Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers at Allianz Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Never fear, Victor is here. Victor Radley has emerged as the Sydney Roosters’ secret weapon as they prepare to launched their finals campaign against Cronulla at Pointsbet Stadium on Saturday night, the explosive back-rower having proved a lucky charm for the club in the month of September.

This masthead has compiled statistics across the game’s eight finals contenders and pinpointed which players are the respective keys to their team being successful at the pointy end of the season.

Radley has remarkably won seven of his nine finals games, converting to a strike rate in excess of 75 per cent. Of the players to have made at least five finals appearances, it is the best record of any player outside all-conquering Penrith.

Victor Radley is the Roosters’ secret weapon. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

For the Panthers, fullback Dylan Edwards has been the sultan of September, having won a remarkable nine of his 11 finals games. A handful of his teammates are also hovering around the 80 per cent mark, a reflection of how dominant Penrith have been at this time of year in recent seasons.

At the Storm, front rower Christian Welch leads the way with a 70 per cent strike rate in a Melbourne side which has oodles of finals experience. Welch concedes the Storm will need to lift their game if he is to maintain that success over coming weeks.

“It has been a bit of a contrast,” Welch said.

“Some years we have been pretty flawless in the regular season, won a minor premiership and then you get rolled in the finals.

“We have been going on a bit of a journey, as frustrating as it has been. I was looking at the ladder and we have lost five or six games against teams that didn’t make the finals.

“We have just been really inconsistent his year which is not what we are about. We have been working hard to try to find that identity of what type of team we are.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is one of the Warriors’ most successful finals players. Picture: James Foy/Getty Images

“A team like Penrith, you know who they are. They are comfortable with their style. Even when we have played them, we have gone up twice and they just stick to their system, they know the process.

“We are not at that stage yet.”

Asked why the Storm hadn’t been able to nail down their game this season, Welch pointed to the players who have left – Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith were among the players to depart in the off-season.

“We have had a big turnover of experience – lost the Bromwiches, Kaufusi, Brandon,” Welch said.

“We are still building but we are certainly not here yet. We played Penrith three or four weeks ago and got towelled up pretty bad.

“There are glimpses there but we are not there yet.”

It’s no surprise Dylan Edwards is an integral member of the Panthers’ side. Picture: Izhar Khan/Getty Images

Brisbane will need to overcome a gulf in finals experience if they are to end their grand final drought. Of the side expected to take the field against the Storm on Friday night, only six players have appeared in the finals.

Halfback Adam Reynolds leads the way with 21 finals games but Kurt Capewell has been the most successful, having won nearly 67 per cent of his games.

At the Warriors, Charnze Nikoll-Klokstad has enjoyed a 67 per cent strike rate while in Newcastle, Dane Gagai is the most successful finals player with eight wins from 14 games.

The Sharks have plenty of finals experience, but success has been few and far between in recent years. Dale Finucane is their most successful player in September but all of those wins came at the Storm and he will be sidelined with injury against the Roosters this weekend.

Nicho Hynes is their most successful finals player with a modest 50 per cent winning percentage.

Originally published as Mr September: Victor Radley the NRL finals lucky charm for Roosters