Three weeks after suffering a serious shoulder injury, Victory Radley will take the field against Manly on Saturday, with Roosters coach Trent Robinson confirming the back-rower is “ready to go.”
Radley fractured his scapula during the Roosters’ round 26 loss to the Raiders. Having not been expected to play again this season, he was a shock inclusion in the extended squad for this weekend.
And a day after Andrew Johns revealed he would play, Robinson told media on Friday morning the Roosters enforcer had defied the odds in making it back in time.
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“He’s right to go. He’s got one more thing to tick off this morning but he’ll be ready to go,” Robinson said.
“No, I wasn’t (always confident that he’d be back this soon).
“I hardly gave it any energy to when he was going to be back or not. It was more (a case of) medical would take care of that, and when he crossed that line that he’d be ready to go, and he’s done that.”
The Roosters have plenty of experience in fielding a player with a similar injury after veteran halfback Cooper Cronk got through the 2018 grand final with a broken scapula.
“It’s similar, but Cooper required surgery and it was quite a significant sort of separation in the bone. It’s the same spot but it’s slightly different,” Robinson said.
“He’s a pretty key player in the way that we’ve played over many years. He plays a high intensity style of play and he’s key to how we want to play.”
News of Radley playing on Saturday night was revealed by Andrew Johns on Thursday.
“Yep – I saw him, he’s playing,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and The Eighth.
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Another man who will return is Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, giving the Tricolours a much-needed boost in the middle of the park after last week’s loss to Penrith.
“He’s got a style of play and we back Jared,” Robinson said.
“We’re looking forward to him bringing that intensity from the start. We know the way he plays, everyone knows the way that he plays. We’re backing him to be at his best tomorrow night.”
Johns believes the return of the spiritual leader will sway the result in their favour, while also pointing out some of Manly’s defensive issues.
“Roosters by 14 – look at their team on paper, their forwards look so strong,” he said.
“And I can’t get over the size of their outside backs … they are all giraffes.
“Manly’s right edge of [Daly] Cherry-Evans, [Reuben] Garrick and [Lehi] Hopoate … Garrick kept coming in and left Hopoate stranded.
“I think they can get some joy down that edge.”
The winner of Saturday’s fixture will take on Melbourne in the preliminary final.