Victor Radley declares himself ready to fill void of Jake Friend

Don’t fear Roosters fans, young gun Victor Radley is here. Radley has declared he is ready step up at hooker following co-captain Jake Friend’s ruptured bicep on Anzac Day.

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Don’t fear Roosters fans, young gun Victor Radley is here.

Radley has declared he is ready step up at hooker following co-captain Jake Friend’s ruptured bicep.

Scans on Friday confirmed that Friend will be sidelined for up to four months after injuring his bicep during the Roosters’ Anzac Day win over St George Illawarra.

The co-captain’s injury is a blow for the defending champions given his work rate, toughness and smarts in the middle of the field.

Victor Radley will fill in for injured skipper Jake Friend. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

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Thankfully the Roosters have a ready-made replacement in Radley, who has previously excelled filling in at hooker in Friend’s absence.

The Bronte-raised forward admits he is still learning about what many consider the toughest position on the field but he won’t let that hold him back if coach Trent Robinson names him in the No.9 jumper.

“I’m not going to use it as an excuse that I haven’t played hooker coming up through the ranks,” Radley told The Saturday Telegraph.

“I think the hardest thing in that position is the passing.

“It’s so crucial to everything we do in attack and that is my job to get the ball out in front of everyone who wants it.

Friend could miss up to four months of action. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“But I’ve been practicing and training at hooker for about three years now, so I just have to nail that job if I have to play there.

“It’s a challenge and something that I need to keep working hard on.

“I’m sure Jake will be a big help, especially with my passing.

“I’ve got so much respect for Jake.

“He has been doing it for 10 odd years now. He has been playing 80 minutes consistently and making 50-plus tackles.

“He deserves every dollar he gets because it is a very tough position.”

Radley may be raw in terms of experience at hooker but he feels confident he can impress in the role.

He credits his comfort to the senior players at the Roosters, who go out of their way to instil a belief in the club’s emerging players.

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“You don’t see them telling people what to do or getting up them – they just lead by example,” he said.

“The feeling around the club being a young person is that you don’t want to let those senior players down.

“I see how hard they work, so as a young player I don’t want to do anything to let them down.

“If I do something wrong or play bad, it’s the whole team that suffers not just me.

“That is the feeling among all the young players, so we just work hard and try to not let anyone down.”

Cooper Cronk is one of the Roosters’ senior players who lead from the front.

Radley is confident he can deputise for his captain. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Cronk knows Friend is a massive loss for the Tricolours but he also has full faith in players like Radley to fill the void.

“One of the best things about the first seven rounds and the World Club tour is that our team runs deep,” Cronk said.

“I think 26 guys can play regular football. It is not great losing your top-end talent like Jake but Victor can come in there.

“Sam Verrills played his debut game in a top of the table clash against Melbourne that went to extra-time and he didn’t miss a beat.

“I think it is kudos to the development coaches here at the Roosters, the systems in place and the training intensity to have these guys ready.”

Cronk also expressed his disappointment for Friend but stressed the resilient Roosters hooker could return from his bicep injury ahead of schedule.

“I wouldn’t be writing Jake off,” he said.

“I know what he is like. If someone says that it (the injury) takes six weeks, he’ll be back in three or four.

“Until the doctor says no I know Jake is going to do everything he possibly can to not only give himself the best opportunity to play for the Roosters but to take advantage of anything else that comes his way.”

Cronk has no doubts Friend possess the qualities to star on the Origin stage.

“Sometimes it’s the big play that doesn’t make you an Origin player,” he said.

“The best players sometimes don’t suit Origin football.

“Jake did some really good things that got some headlines against the Dragons but he also made the tackle on Matt Dufty and he lost the ball for Taukeiaho to score the match-winner.

“He also cleaned up some missed tackles from teammates throughout the game and that is what Origin is about.”