Sydney Roosters have endured a mass exodus of talent and experience since bringing the curtain down on their 2024 campaign.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary have left for the Super League in the twilight of their careers, while Joey Manu, Joseph Suaalii and Sitili Tupouniua have also moved on.
With Sam Walker and Brandon Smith suffering ACL ruptures at the business end of the year, the Chooks will be forced to field a vastly different side to the one Trent Robinson has relied on in the past.
However, Victor Radley is refusing to view the significant changes in Bondi as a negative and is instead focusing on how he can step into a leadership role while the club attempts to reel in Penrith.
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Victor Radley explains why Sydney Roosters rebuild excites him
The Roosters were bundled out of the premiership race in the preliminary finals after they were well beaten by Melbourne.
The defeat marked the end of an era for the club with a number of premiership-winning players running out for the final time in the famous jersey.
Yet despite the disappointment that came with the departures, Radley has been left excited by the prospect of stepping up as one of the main leaders for the side in 2025.
"I have been thinking in the past few years about moving more into the leadership part, but sometimes I could probably get away with not being a leader," Radley said while appearing on Keegan and Company.
"Some days I was and then others I wasn’t. But now it’s pretty black and white that I need to be a leader.
"I’m excited for the season with everyone leaving. I honestly feel like there’s a weight off my shoulders going into it."
The Roosters were knocked out by the Storm at AAMI Park after a 48-18 loss, while they previously opened their finals campaign with a 30-10 defeat against the Panthers.
This continued a woeful record against the four-time champions with the Chooks losing 10 games on the bounce against them with an aggregate score of 295-134.
Radley declared that one major attribute had separated his side from the reigning premiers during this time - fitness.
"I feel like we were fit this year and strong but, if we’re going to go against the big teams (that’s what we need to improve)," Radley said.
"Against Penrith, they just strangle you and it’s about who breaks first. And for the last few years, we obviously have," he added with the Roosters last tasting victory against Ivan Cleary's men in 2019.
"In the leadership role, I feel like I need to push that across the whole team a bit more."
Besides an increased focus on fitness for the upcoming season, Radley also acknowledged that the Roosters will be forced to alter their style due to the exits or unavailability of Manu, Suaalii and Walker.
Robinson's side posted more points than any other during the regular season, yet this ability to cross the stripe regularly may decline with a more hard-nosed approach in the offing.
"Let’s just go hard and train hard because we’re not going to win any other way than being gritty," Radley said.
"We can’t just sit there like in the past and go, ‘We’ve got these amazing players so we’re going to score some tries’. I feel like the only way we can win the comp next year is through sheer hard work and defence.
"And I felt like that was in our review meeting just gone."
