His dad used to throw bricks at him on a Sydney building site, but now Victor Radley is laying the foundations for England’s shot at World Cup glory.
The 24-year old is in contention for the Golden Boot thanks to his influential displays in the host nation’s run to the semi-finals, already vindicating the loose forward’s bold decision to pledge his allegiance to England over Australia.
The Sydney Roosters star looks like he has worn the England number 13 shirt for years, having turned his back on a shot at Origin or Kangaroos rugby to represent his dad’s heritage.
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He called head coach Shaun Wane while on the cliffs at Bondi Beach in the summer, citing his desire to play for England, and ending the phone call convinced he would be winning the World Cup in a white jersey.
A few months later, ahead of the biggest game of his life against Samoa in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final, the man they call ‘Victor The Inflictor’ has opened up on what drives his thirst for pain, and how the England camp has already provided the moments of his life.
“It’s been so much fun,” Radley told The Sportsman.
“And all of a sudden there’s days left, time flies and I’m so proud of this team.
“There’s not been anything I haven’t liked, even the weather has been alright - I’ve only been rained on once.
“We are not going to take the foot of the pedal, we are here to win.”
A big-hitting, ball-carrying back row, described by England great James Graham as not quite wired up correctly - “a firecracker ready to go off at any moment” - Radley admits he plays rugby league because he wants to hurt.
“The drug that gets me playing is the feeling when you have finished a game,” he says with a glint in his eye.
“Sitting in the sheds with your mates, battered and bruised when you have won, that is the drug that makes me want to put my body on the line.
“That is why you play, for that feeling. You can’t get that feeling anywhere else. That is why it is such a good, violent game. I play for my teammates and I don’t want to let them down.”
Radley is Shaun Wane’s perfect player. His love for the big contact goes alongside a relentless work ethic and an honest, selfless drive to succeed. It is something he learned from a young age growing up with his three brothers in the Sydney suburbs.
“Ever since I was six I wanted to tackle and hit hard. I wanted to run down a hill and get smashed. I love the physical altercation and the violence of rugby league.
“Hilly (Chris Hill), Micky Mac (Michael McIlorum) are those players. Those hard nuts. We have a good balance of hard Englishmen and stars. You want to see someone folded in half.”
Radley’s formative years saw him coached through junior rugby by Adrian Lam, now head coach of Super League newcomers Leigh. “He’s shaped me into the player I am today” Radley says of that period, before learning the big life lessons on his Sheffield-born dad’s building site, where he worked as a carpenter in his late teens.
“It was so much fun, he threw bricks at me. My dream was to finish my carpentry apprenticeship and come to England on a one-year visa. Then footy found its way in and I ended up playing for the Roosters.
“My dad never told me to work hard, he just showed me, six days a week. Even if you’ve been out on the beers, you turn up and work hard. Blokes like Adrian gave me skill and guidance through those teenage years. And my dad would never miss a day’s work in his life.
“I’m all about turning up and working hard. I’m not scared about working hard.”
It is that work ethic that Radley has brought to the England side, and epitomises what Wane’s squad is all about.
“My role is simple,” he adds. “Work hard, tackle as much as I can and then play with my forwards and run hard. My role is very direct, I need to do it hard and fast and be very fit.
“I’m only focused on London (this weekend). I have tunnel vision and hopefully it is packed and I will soak it up, sing the anthem and go and get the win. I’m ready to rumble.
“We take it day by day, be present, tunnel vision. But we are going to win the World Cup and we are going to do it together.”
