NRL 2021: Victor Radley’s fearless upbringing behind Roosters enforcer’s rise
Even from a young age it was clear Victor Radley was blessed with a fearless approach — and woe betide anyone blocking his way. He was so brutal he scared some kids out of the game.
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The triage nurses at Randwick’s Sydney Children’s Hospital were on first-name terms with the Radleys.
Long before Victor ‘the Inflictor’ Radley was dishing out pain on the football field in the NRL, the Sydney Roosters forward had a knack for inflicting pain on himself.
Dad Nigel, a builder from northern England who moved to Australia in the late 1980s, had the job of getting his son patched up.
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“He came off his bike a couple of times into a brick wall and had to go to the hospital because he split his head open,” Nigel said.
“He was a regular at the hospital, on first name terms.
“One time – which I got in trouble for with the wife – he drank the turps.
“I was painting the house, I had the turps to clean the paint brushes and he drank it.
“We went to the hospital.
“Another time, he burned his hands on the oven. We went to the hospital. He’s been there a few times.”
Back then, Radley was also inflicting pain on others, too.
Not that it ever came from a place of malice. It came from a love of rugby league, specifically tackling and tackling hard — even as a five-year-old at the Clovelly Crocodiles.
Radley was so brutal he scared some kids out of the game.
“Some poor little kid never came back after Victor ran into him, I don’t know what he did to him but he never came back,” Nigel said.
“We had to get him headgear in the under 6s because one time he ran in and broke some kid’s nose.
“They said, ‘don’t bring him unless he wears headgear, at training — everything’. He wore it until he was about 14 because the coaches said he had to wear it.
“From when he was little, he just loved tackling, even in the under 6s.
“He’d make six tackles in a row when some of the other kids would go the whole season without making a tackle.”
When Radley wasn’t running out for the Crocodiles on a Sunday morning, he and his three brothers – Jack, Lewis and Harry, were running around the eastern suburbs of Sydney searching for their next thrill.
“I had brothers growing up, and we were all mad men,” Radley said.
“I don’t mean for this to sound the wrong way, but I don’t think anything can really hurt you that bad.
“I’ve had some solid stacks growing up as a kid, you get up and go again.
“I used to love doing big shoreys and slamming myself on the sand back. A shorey is a massive wave that breaks on the shore.
“When we were kids, it was the holy grail. When there were big shoreys down at Bronte or Coogee beach, we’d go down and just get barrelled.
“We’d be climbing trees and stacking it and getting up.
“Jumping off bridges, over flipping and landing on my back, back slapping and just swimming away from it, saying I’m sweet. It’s a she’ll-be-right attitude.”
Radley told News Corp the ‘solid stacks’ along the way helped instil within him a sense of fearlessness.
Like when he looked up to see Gold Coast behemoth Sam Lisone, who is 20 kilograms heavier than him, charging at the Roosters line last Saturday night. A single thought ran through Radley’s mind: “Smash him”.
“I almost died,” Radley said with a wry smile.
“I just thought I’d try to smash him and I ended up coming off second best 10-fold.”
This time instead of cutting down Lisone with the sort of bone-crushing tackle Radley is famous for, he was the one who got smashed, bouncing off Lisone’s huge frame like a ping pong ball.
“He didn’t even budge and I almost died, it was good,” Radley said.
“I got ran over, it was quite embarrassing, but anyway it happens.”
Despite the stinging pain, Radley, clutching at his shoulder, shooed away the trainer and took his place in the line.
“It was just a burner, it went dead,” Radley said.
“I spent the next minute thinking how much of an idiot I am. But then the burn slowly goes away and I’m back to go again.”
Teammate Josh Morris remembers watching the collision in disbelief.
“I don’t know what Victor’s got in his head. Mate, seriously, he’s just not got an off switch,” Morris said.
“But that’s why we love him. Sometimes he takes himself out of play when he does those kinds of things, but he makes people look.
“You know, you see him coming out of the line and it might force an error next time. Vic is not going to change, and that’s why we love him.”
After the match, coach Trent Robinson described Radley’s tackle attempt on Lisone and his ability to push through the pain as “valiant”.
Morris agrees with the coach’s assessment. But was also quick to point out that Radley is more than a hard-hitting forward whose reputation was forged on cutting blokes in half.
Beyond the take-downs, Radley’s competitiveness and desire to win at any cost makes him the kind of teammate players want to line up alongside when it matters most, like in this Friday’s elimination final against Manly.
“With Vic, he just keeps on going. What he can put his body through, the levels he can get to, it is brave, it is valiant. I guess that’s why he’s such an important member of our team, not just in attack but the stuff he does off the ball in defence with that aggression, his relentlessness, he wants to win … you want to play alongside him,” Morris said.
Radley has flirted with the line between aggression and the Match Review Committee’s charge sheet on a number of occasions this season.
He was charged in rounds four and six and was suspended for five weeks after he was placed on report four times and sin-binned twice in round 11 against the Broncos.
Radley conceded that sometimes his emotions get the better of him on the field. Mixed in with aggression, it’s a dangerous combination.
It’s the reason why Radley is learning to temper his passion, now more than ever with the NRL’s crackdown on foul play and contact with the head and neck.
“Everyone is one tackle away from being rubbed out,” Radley said.
“I know that aggression is a big part of rugby league, but I have had some pretty good role models like Cooper Cronk who have said to me, ‘you let emotions make decisions for you’.
“I don’t want to be emotional on the field.
“I mean, obviously I want to be emotional where I have to be but I just want to be stable and get the job done.
Guess who? The finals reunion 12 years in the making
They sat together on the Manly bench 12 years ago as rookie Kiwis.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Kieran Foran hadn’t played finals footy before, yet here they were thrown into an elimination final against mighty Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
The tries kept coming that night, most going to the home side. A 40-12 loss to a Storm side which included Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Ryan Hoffman, Cam Smith and Billy Slater. The same Melbourne side that would later be stripped of their title due to salary cap cheating.
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Who would have thought more than a decade later Waerea-Hargraves and Foran would be preparing to confront one-another in Friday night’s knockout game in Mackay.
Rotorua-born Waerea-Hargeraves, 32, will rip in for the Roosters, Auckland’s Foran, 31, ready to guide and inspire his team from five-eighth. They are the only two players from that 2009 finals match still playing.
And this will be Waerea-Hargreaves’ 21st finals game – a reward for a throwback prop who plays with commitment, toughness and physicality.
“It (playing finals) is the reason why you play footy. You play footy to be in finals and to be there at the end of the year,” Waerea-Hargeraves said.
“We started training last November. You’ve really got to make the most of your time, enjoy each day but not lose focus on why we’re here.
“And that is to win footy games and to be there at the end in the big dance.
“The belief is super high among our squad. We spoke about it yesterday. We are looking for perfection but also areas we can improve and be better.
“We know we can get better as individuals and definitely as a team.”
Asked for his recollections about the 2013 final, where he played against Manly and Foran, Waerea-Hargreaves said: “I don’t even know what I did last week let alone eight years ago. It was a good game and we got the result. I can’t remember too much about it.”
The Roosters edged out Gold Coast last weekend to continue a remarkable season swamped with injuries, retirements and suspension.
Yet Trent Robinson’s side – now chock full of youngsters – enter week two of the finals against a Manly side humbled 40-12 by Melbourne, the same score as 2009.
“It’s been a super special season. They (the rookie players) are willing to learn. Talk about being a sponge with knowledge. That has definitely been a big part of our season, to develop certain players on the run,” he said.
“Guys have stepped up. It’s been really enjoyable through a lot of adversity.
“We are enjoying being together and enjoying each other’s company and working really hard for each other. I’m probably the most immature out of the lot, I’m not going to lie. I’m 32 but hanging out with the 18 and 19 year olds, thinking I’m this young kid again.
“My wife (Chelsea) actually said the other day: ‘Who do you think you are, staying up super late with these guys playing PlayStation?’
“We have come up to Queensland and been fortunate to bring our families, we have relished the moment as well. To be here together is very special.”
Waerea-Hargreaves played for Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield before switching to the Sea Eagles in 2008.
The time prince Teddy lived like a pauper
He once earned just $18 a day representing his country in a World Cup but Sydney Roosters superstar James Tedesco is now preparing for a $2.2m mega battle with Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Tedesco – one of the NRL’s highest-paid players – was a genuine pauper while playing for Italy during the 2013 World Cup in England.
Tedesco and his Azzurri teammates were paid just 20 English pounds a day ($37.57 Australian) during the four-week World Cup, that figure unbelievably halved on arrival and departure days to ten quid ($18.80).
Italian officials would place the money in envelopes for players to collect inside the team hotel every day.
It was the only payment Italian players – including Paul Vaughan, Mark and Anthony Minichiello, Anthony Laffranchi, Kade Snowden, Aidan Guerra and Cameron Ciraldo – received throughout the tournament. There wasn’t any extra cash even on game day.
How times have changed.
Tedesco is now earning $1.1m a year with the Sydney Roosters and will embark on a mouth-watering one-on-one battle with Trbojevic – also on a $1.1m annual contract – in Friday night’s elimination final.
“’Teddy’ and the Italian team virtually played that World Cup for nothing,” said then Italian manager, Reno Santaguida. “They got 20 quid a day. It didn’t even cover living costs. Imagine being in England on $37 a day?
“They just loved playing for Italy and loved playing in a World Cup.
“’Teddy’ was a big part of that team. He has come a long way since those days. He actually played in the centres for Italy that year because Anthony Minichiello was our fullback.”
Trbojevic v Tedesco is certain to light up week two of the finals.
Tedesco was stunned to hear Trbojevic was being questioned and scrutinised over his performance against Melbourne.
“I don’t know why he is getting criticism,” Tedesco said. “I don’t know why people are criticising him for that. Tommy doesn’t go on his social media so I doubt he would read much.
“He probably feels like he could have done more and I am sure he will go out and do everything he can to prove that. He is realising how big and strong he is and he shows that when he dominates teams.
“He and (brother) Jake take losses to heart so I’m sure they will come out and do everything they can to win. That would mean more touches for Tommy and more involvement. It will be a big job for us to keep him quiet again.
“We have to keep him quiet and that will be a big job for us as a whole defensive line.”
Roosters halfback Lachlan Lam offered special praise for Tedesco.
“I am a little bit biased but I think ‘Teddy’ is one of the best players in the game. The more time he has his hands on the ball, the better it is for our team,” Lam said.
“He is just a footy player, he is on everything. As a growing footballer and wanting to improve, it’s good to see him do that and to learn lessons off him every week. He wants the ball all the time and more often than not he does good things with it.”
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