South Sydney front-rower John Radel is proof that if you keep pestering long enough you can actually go places.
It also helps that the gentle harassment is done by a mutual contact shared by the Radel family and seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett.
“I think our family friend (grazier Marcus Kerr) might have annoyed Wayne one too many times and Wayne decided to have a look at me, probably just to get the bloke to leave him alone,” Radel joked after snaring a try in his NRL debut against in Thursday night's 48-6 win over Brisbane.
Bennett said he did in fact make contact with Mackay Cutters coach Adam Cuthbertson to get some intel on Radel, who hails from Taroom about 470km north-west of Brisbane.
“I coached Adam at the Dragons and had a relationship with him… John had just won Player of the Year there in Mackay so we brought him down for a train-and-trial and the rest is history," Bennett said.
“He’s a good story. He’s from the bush in Queensland, went to boarding school in Brisbane and played rugby. But he loves our game despite having a few setbacks."
John Radel Try
Radel made his Queensland Cup debut in 2023 with Wynnum-Manly, a feeder team of the Broncos after coming through their academy, but they did not seem interested.
He moved to Mackay in 2024 to play for the Mackay Cutters, a feeder team for the Cowboys, where he did a pre-season but nothing eventuated there either.
“I suppose everything happens for a reason because I’m down here now under a coach I’ve always dreamed of being involved with. I’m just really grateful to be learning from the best,” he said.
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The son of a central Queensland farmer, Radel was keen to pursue sport rather than agriculture and had the full support of his family.
“They always held me accountable and told me to keep going," he said.
“Mackay was also good for me as I found my enjoyment for the game again.”
At 23, he thought maybe the NRL would remain just out of reach, but his 29-minute cameo on an emotion-charged night at Accor Stadium proved dreams can come true.
“All sorts of thoughts go through your head when opportunities don’t go your way," he said.
“I always backed my work ethic, that if anything was going to get me to the NRL it would be that and my commitment.
“I thought with that attitude things might come my way if I hung there. And some middles don’t mature until their late 20s so I was prepared to wait.”
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Radel had been a mainstay at prop this year for the Rabbitohs NSW Cup team, scoring two tries in 11 games and helping Souths to third place on the reserve grade ladder.
Rather than a phone call or meeting in his office, Bennett chose this background to deliver the good news to Radel.
“I played against Manly in NSW Cup last week and Wayne was in the sheds afterwards and he actually told me in front of the boys that’d I’d be playing NRL next round," Radel said.
“All the boys got around me, were so happy for me, really stoked for me. It was pretty cool.”
