Sydney Roosters forward Victor Radley has declared his eligibility and determination to press for inclusion for England in this autumn’s World Cup.
Radley, 24, qualifies for England through his father, Nigel, who is from Sheffield, where England will play the last of their three group games against Greece on October 29.
He was a member of the Roosters pack who won consecutive NRL Grand Finals in 2018 and 2019, on each occasion following up with victory in the World Club Challenge in England early the following year – at Wigan in 2019, and St Helens in 2020.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Radley explained.
“I’ve always wanted to play for England for my old man. Everybody wants to do the right thing by their dad, don’t they?
“Dad’s proud of where he’s from, proud of his family, proud of supporting Sheffield Wednesday.
“This was a gut feeling that it’s what I want to do – and with the World Cup coming up in England at the end of this year, it was now or never.
“If I ended up sitting there watching the World Cup and knowing I could have been playing for England – that wouldn’t have felt good.”
England coach Shaun Wane said: “I rate Victor Radley very highly as a player, and he’s a great addition to the options we have in a position where we have some really strong contenders.
“We need quality in depth in every position and Victor is a big addition to that.”
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