Roosters star Victor Radley has all but turned his back on Blues eligibility by electing to represent England at the 2022 World Cup.
Radley spent time with England coach Shaun Wane while the latter was in the country, and has informed RFL officials in England of his intention to play for the Three Lions.
Radley’s eligibility to play for England is through his father Nigel, who is from Sheffield, which will also play host to England’s last three group matches.
READ MORE: The Aussie ‘smack talk’ fuel behind England win
READ MORE: Aussie Smith has day to forget as British Open favourite surges
READ MORE: Joey’s surprise Kangaroos call for World Cup
Once Radley plays for England – a tier one nation – he will be ineligible for State of Origin selection, or for the Kangaroos.
Radley told NRL.com he wanted to play for England for his dad.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
“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.”
Stream the NRL premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now
Wane said he was open to picking players “who want to represent their English heritage”, but that they had to be “outstanding in their position, and 100 per cent committed”.
“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.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!