Victor Radley has backed Roosters teammate Billy Smith to make his England debut in this year\u2019s Ashes series after the strike centre pledged his allegiance to the old enemy.<\/p>\n
Both of Smith\u2019s parents were born in London, but his dad moved to Manchester early in life before he made the big move to Australia, where his love of the Red Devils didn\u2019t rub off on his son, who supports Liverpool. <\/p>\n
But his heritage has resonated with the in-form centre who spoke with England coach Shaun Wane recently about wanting to represent the national team that would rule him out of State of Origin if eligibility rules aren\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just had a conversation with the coach a couple of weeks ago, and that\u2019s all it\u2019s really been,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth Mum and Dad are both born in England and we go generations back, so there\u2019s a strong tie to that country and there always has been.\u201d<\/p>\n
Radley made the call a few years ago to represent England and he\u2019d love to see Smith get a crack in the team after overcoming a horror run of injuries with the Roosters. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to bring it up with him because I know what Billy\u2019s like \u2013 he wants to be present and doesn\u2019t want to think too far ahead,\u201d the veteran forward said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been playing great footy, so I didn\u2019t want to bombard him with it, but when he told me, I was stoked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a world-class centre and has been one of the best centres all year, so I\u2019m stoked that he put his hand up for England.\u201d<\/p>\n
Radley, 27, has played nine matches for England, starting with the 2022 World Cup where he suffered his lone loss in the semis that robbed him of the chance to play against Australia. <\/p>\n
He has since gone on tours for series against Tonga and Samoa, with Radley vowing to be even better if selected for the first Ashes series since 2003.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big tour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the last couple of years that I probably had a little bit too much fun going over there, but I feel that this year (will be different).<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to think about it too much because we\u2019ve got a lot of footy going on with the Roosters, but I know the mindset that \u2018Waney\u2019 has after a couple of Zoom calls with him and I know how important this Ashes series will be for England.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m lucky enough to get chosen for the squad, I won\u2019t leave any stone unturned.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Roosters junior was \u201cdisappointed\u201d to not play Australia in the World Cup final and has vowed to sing God Save the King \u201cloud and proud\u201d for the upcoming Tests.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s every chance he\u2019ll still sing the Australian national anthem given this is his home, even if current rules mean he\u2019ll never get the chance to represent his beloved Blues. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love this country. I grew up here and Australia is my home. I\u2019m not going to pretend that I\u2019m completely English because Australia is my home and I grew up on Bronte Beach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love this country, I love Australia and that anthem means something to me and my family, and I feel like they\u2019re both very similar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m playing for England, I\u2019ll be singing God Save the King and I\u2019ll be proud, but Australia is my home. I love this country and that\u2019s never going to change.\u201d<\/p>\n