Sydney Roosters star Victor Radley has explained the decision to pledge allegiance to England, ruling him out of State of Origin contention for the remainder of his career.
Despite being born and raised in Sydney's eastern suburbs and playing his junior football for Clovelly, the 24-year-old has elected to represent England at this year's Rugby League World Cup.
Radley's father is from England, making him eligible to represent the tier-one nation.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he told NRL.com after the Round 18 win over the Dragons.
“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.”
Radley was a long-shot to be in the Australian squad for the World Cup, but his decision now means he is unable to play for NSW at Origin level in future series after being among the squad in 2022.
But the fiery lock-forward said it wasn't a decision he took lightly, and was in discussions with Roosters coach Trent Robinson this year about the potential shock switch.
"Whatever I'm doing, I want to do it until I'm broken." 🏴
— Triple M NRL (@TripleM_NRL) July 17, 2022
A passionate Victor Radley speaks on his decision to represent England at the World Cup 👇 pic.twitter.com/PBROpg5h9V
“I spoke to Trent a few times about it...I’ve got a good relationship with Matt King and Jason Ryles and they were part of it, they all gave me some advice," he told Triple M.
"Robbo was really good…he knows I can get quite emotional at times, but he said give it a few months. He said ‘this is not a girlfriend, this is a marriage’.
"I’ve got years of Yorkshire blood in me and it’s coming out and it feels like the right thing to do.
"I know how passionate England are and I want to be there for that.
"I’ve never played for England…whatever I’m doing, I want to do it until I’m broken."
But his decision to 'defect' and represent England makes the World Cup even more exciting and gives the host nation a bigger shot at competing with the top sides.
