STORY BY – TYSON JACKSON | THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Victor Radley has only ever known rugby league.
So, for the first time in his life, he’s heading into the unknown as he navigates a future that’ll involve rubbish bins, cleaning rentals, and trashing other players.
The Sydney Roosters veteran recently started his own rubbish removal company, runs a property via Airbnb, and has recently ventured into a role in the media.
“I’m getting a bit older now, so I wanted to think about post-football,” Radley said.
“Rugby league’s my life, I’m a carpenter by trade, I love doing that. Radley’s Rubbish as well. But rugby league is everything I know.”
Radley started his rubbish removal company in June, with the business slowly picking up momentum over the past two months.
His Airbnb in Bondi, which he also launched earlier this year, has been tracking along nicely as well.
Radley is raking in much of the success without having to get his hands dirty in either business at this point.
His business partner and former Roosters player, Ben Thomas, has taken the reins with the construction side of things while Radley continues to focus on life on the field.
“I’m not exactly as well-equipped to do that kind of work as Ben is, so he’s across it,” Radley said of his new rubbish company.
“We’ve already had like three unit strip-outs, he’ll just go, just make just have a look at what’s on the floor, whatever, quote the job, and then gotten the jobs.
When it comes to the Airbnb, the majority of the load falls on his long-time girlfriend, Taylah Cratchley, who takes responsibility for the heavy lifting with their investment property.
The pair bought the Bondi unit in April 2025 and initially rented it out, but they chose to flip the property into an Airbnb over the past couple of months.
They even took to social media to share the journey, which involved Radley applying his trade as a carpenter and getting on the tools to help get the apartment into shape.
“I think Taylah does the brunt of that here. I’m talking about all these things I’ve got, I’m not doing any work on them,” Radley joked.
“We started that probably two months ago in Bondi. Did a renovation on a unit that we’ve had rented out for a bit, and it’s doing well.
“Taylah runs the Airbnb.
“You have to obviously do a bit of admin with it, but it’s doing well at the moment.
“We’ve had a fair bit of booking, especially for the middle of the winter, so I’m looking forward to summer, seeing how that goes.”
The Airbnb is well-publicised on the couple’s social media accounts, but diehard Roosters fans have yet to put their hands up to spend a night in the property.
Instead, the property mostly appeals to backpackers and tourists who don’t know who he is.
However, the Roosters lock does have plans to use the beachfront property when he gets a chance in the off-season, treating Cratchley to a romantic staycation.
“I don’t think people care, especially around these Eastern Suburbs,” Radley said on the response to his new property.
“It’s not like Queensland.
“I think when you come to Bondi, you normally get an overseas backpacker.
“We actually want to spend a bit of time there ourselves, maybe when it’s not booked out.
“It’s right on the beach in Bondi, so we’ll take the boys down there in the off-season when it’s not booked out, and have dinner at Raw Bar.
“Nice romantic evening. Put the boys down, and enjoy it down there as well for us, so I think it’s a double-edged sword there, works both ways.”
Radley has come a long way over the last eight months, with Cratchley being a big reason for the 28-year-old bouncing back from the darkest point in his career.
Radley almost lost his contract at the Roosters last year after he was caught up in a text message scandal that looked set to end his time in Bondi.
The English international struggled with the mental toll of the saga, before eventually turning the ordeal into a turning point for his life.
It’s been the catalyst for his strong season.
“It was difficult at the time, but once those couple of weeks passed, I just looked at it as a positive,” Radley said.
“I just felt like I let the team down. I do everything for my teammates.
“So, for me, it wasn’t anything more than, ‘Hey, you better get yourself ready to go once you’re back because, you know, they’re playing these first four matches without you because of your stupid decisions.”
Radley’s great form led to his Origin debut, where he starred as one of the Blues’ best before missing out on selection for Game 3.
In hindsight, Radley admits it was the right decision.
“I loved being part of that arena. Disappointed to miss out on that Game 3, but I feel like Laurie made the right decision in the end,” Radley said.
“I was disappointed at the time, really disappointed.
“I found out on Sunday night, and we went into camp on Monday morning, and I just told myself, ‘Just kind of have the shits for 12 hours and after that, let it go’.
“I had fun all camp, kept my energy as high as I could, and then the boys got the win. And there was still a bit of disappointment there, but at the end of the day, that’s life. Move on.
“And I’ll look back fondly at that experience.”
A father of two to sons Vinnie and Cruz, the Roosters star continues to consider life after footy as he delves into the life of rugby league media.
He has enlisted the help of lifelong friend Max Muddle, general manager of The Fordham Company — one of Australia’s highest-profile talent agencies — to help.
“Growing up with Victor, he was always the larrikin but extremely driven and switched on at the same time,” Muddle said.
“It’s almost a full circle moment now being able to work alongside him and expose him to another world he hasn’t properly been exposed to.”