Victor Radley did not give retirement a moment’s thought when he was sidelined with his latest concussion lay-off, even as he was overwhelmed by people weighing in about his health.
The Sydney Roosters forward has sported headgear for his two NRL games since returning from a second game-ending head knock this year and seventh from the past four seasons.
He is set to miss this week’s clash against Melbourne with a minor shoulder injury but does not expect to spend long on the sidelines.
Radley needed almost a month to recover from the latest head knock – up from the 11 days for game-ending head knocks mandated by the NRL – and has been consulting extensively with experts.
He has reported no recurring symptoms since the latest setback.
“I’ve been completely fine so I’m really positive,” Radley told the media launch for Saturday’s Beer Footy Food Festival at Henson Park.
“I’ve been working really hard on some little things that the doctors and the professors gave me. But other than that, I haven’t had one issue.”
The latest head knock triggered public debate as to the playing future of Radley, who has one of the NRL’s most extensive concussion histories.
Radley has become used to people stopping him in the street to weigh in; he understands it, but it can be a lot for the 27-year-old to handle.
“Everyone has got their opinions which is a good thing because a lot of people will come up to me and make sure that I’m all right,’ he said.
“It’s all coming from a good place, but it can overwhelm me a little bit, when every single person you speak with says ‘Mate, make sure you look after yourself’.
“I see the best in the business with this stuff and they fill me with positivity. That’s all that matters to me, to only care about the opinions of people who know what they’re talking about.”
It’s why Radley had no thought of hanging up the boots when he went down with his latest head knock.
“I haven’t thought about retiring, but I’m not scared to, either,” he said.
“I’m a carpenter and a builder by trade. I’m not thinking about retirement, but it’s not because I’m worried about it. It’s not my time now.”
Radley left Friday’s loss to Cronulla with a recurring shoulder issue and will miss Thursday’s intriguing clash against top-four hopefuls Melbourne.
But he doubted he’d be sidelined long-term as the Roosters hope to keep pace with their rivals for a top-eight berth.
“It’s no problem at all,” he said.
“I’ve been managing it for the past few years. It’s not like I need surgery, but you’ve just got to keep your strength up.
“It happened pretty early in the first half, but I came off and let myself cool down and didn’t quite keep it as warm as I should have.”
