Roosters coach in startling confession about Victor Radley amid shock return in NRL semi-final

Trent Robinson has confirmed Victor Radley will make a shock return from injury for the Roosters' semi-final showdown with the Sea Eagles on Saturday night. The Roosters back-rower was named on the extended bench on Tuesday, despite suffering a fracture to his left scapula less than three weeks ago.

Radley picked up the injury in the round 26 loss to the Raiders and looked as though he'd be out of NRL finals contention for the Roosters altogether. But the injury didn't require surgery and the club has been impressed with Radley's speedy progress, so much so that Robinson confirmed he will come into the side this weekend.

"He's right to go," Robinson said on Friday morning. "He's got one more thing to tick off this morning but he'll be ready to go.

"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. 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."

Robinson will hope Radley's inclusion can help the Roosters recapture the physical intensity they so desperately missed in last week's qualifying-final loss to Penrith. He is set to come onto the Roosters' right edge, having switched to the second row this season after years playing predominantly as a middle forward in previous years. It is expected that bench forward Siua Wong will drop out of the 17 when the Roosters finalise their team ahead of Saturday night's sudden-death clash at Allianz Stadium.

Braith Anasta says playing Victor Radley is risky

Braith Anasta, however, fears Radley playing this weekend may actually hurt the Roosters. The NRL great pointed to the fact that Radley is one of the toughest and most hard-hitting forwards in the game but said he would surely be at risk of aggravating his shoulder early on and leaving the Tri Colours a man down.

“It has been three weeks. Look at the way he plays and he has got a fractured scapula," Anasta said on NRL 360. "The problem with this is he could go out and in the first tackle he goes, it's no good. Then he’s out for the match and you have got one less on the interchange."

As well as being boosted by Radley's return, the Roosters also welcome back veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves from suspension in what could be his last game before joining English side Hull KR. "(He's) ready to go," Robinson said. "All of that sort of stuff (his exit) surrounds it but it's about playing 80 minutes and that's all he's focused on."

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Waerea-Hargreaves has missed seven of the Roosters' last eight games through several suspensions. But Robinson says he won't be trying to calm down his aggressive prop against Manly.

"He's got a style of play and we back Jared," the coach 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."

with AAP