An England international who was handed a 10-game ban by his own club is set to return and is scheduled to feature in round six of the NRL.
NRL club Sydney Roosters handed down their ‘heaviest ever’ sanction as they banned England star Victor Radley for 10 games, for which he would forfeit his salary, whilst also ordering him to make a charitable donation of $30,000.
Such harsh sanctions came after Radley found himself caught up in the case that was made against fellow NRL star Brandon Smith, who was formerly a teammate of Radley’s.
Smith faced allegations of unlawfully supplying a dangerous drug and using or disclosing inside knowledge for betting, with text messages between Smith and Radley widely shared down under leading to the Roosters’ sanctions on their star forward.
Those sanctions were handed down not for illegal activity by Radley, which the club admit wasn’t the case, but for bringing the Roosters into disrepute, for which the England international apologised for.
It’s now been confirmed by the Roosters that they will allow Radley to return early from his suspension with the England international eligible to play from next week, having only missed five NRL games for the club.
Victor Radley set for NRL return
Explaining their decision, the Roosters pointed to Radley’s work off the field in the aftermath of his ban with the higher-ups at the club, including coach Trent Robinson, agreeing to sanction the end of his ban.
A club statement read: “The Sydney Roosters have today confirmed that Victor Radley will be available for NRL selection from Round 6 of the 2026 season.
“Radley was issued with the heaviest sanction ever imposed on a player in the Club’s history in September 2025.
“Following a proposal presented to the Sydney Roosters Board by Director of Football Mitchell Aubusson and Head Coach Trent Robinson outlining the work Radley has undertaken since the sanction was imposed, the Board has unanimously agreed to permit Radley to be available for selection from Round 6 onwards.”
It’s worth noting that whilst Radley has only missed five NRL games for the Roosters, he did withdraw from the Ashes and also was banned for the NRL pre-season games, which would take the tally of games missed to ten, albeit three were of his own accord.
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