. SEMI Radradra, the NRL’s latest tryscoring sensation, sleeps on the floor and his family home in Fiji has no power or running water.
Today, the Parramatta powerhouse is embroiled in a cross-code tug of war, with French and Japanese rugby clubs attempting to poach Radradra and set him up for life.
Just days after he terrorised the Broncos, The Courier-Mail can reveal Radradra has been approached by offshore rugby outfits following his destructive start to the 2014 season.
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t interest again from rugby,” his manager George Christodoulou said on Sunday.
The 105kg convert has hit the NRL like a Fijian tsunami, topping the tryscoring chart with eight tries in five games. He also leads the NRL for line breaks with seven, prompting Broncos star Justin Hodges to compare Radradra to dual international wingers Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri.
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But now the Eels face a battle to keep a player who is so raw he’s still learning the code’s rules, taking a 20-metre tap restart last year beside the referee on the 30m line.
Currently on a second-tier deal worth around $70,000, the 21-year-old is contracted to Parramatta until the end of next season. And while he wants to stay loyal to the Eels, the enormous salaries on offer in rugby can change the lives of his impoverished family in Somosomo.
The tiny village is so remote it is 228km from the Fijian capital Suva. Radradra would travel a day-and-a-half by boat to reach the mainland and must fund his family’s existence because his father cannot work due to a lung disease.
Chris Sandow congratulates Radradra after his try against Brisbane.
For those reasons, every cent counts for Radradra, who is so valued by the Fijian rugby union he required a military clearance to leave the country for his shot at NRL stardom.
“I’ve had a stack of calls from French and Japanese clubs after Semi’s form in the opening rounds,” Christodoulou said.
“The overseas clubs have seen him come through and they love NRL players. But even better for them, Semi is accustomed to the rules of rugby.
“The interest is genuine and the money over there can set him up for life.
“At the moment, Semi is keen to build a legacy in rugby league. But if the commercial difference between staying in the NRL and going to rugby is significant, Semi would have to consider going.
“Semi doesn’t want to leave Parramatta. The Eels have done a lot to assist him, so hopefully they will come to me before November 1 this year with an extension.”
Maroons ace Hodges said he was stunned by the size of the muscular Radradra, who scored his 13th try in 12 NRL games against the Broncos.
Radradra fields the ball during Parramatta’s game against Manly at Brookvale Oval.
“He’s massive,” he said. “I didn’t realise how big he was until I got out there.
“The only two guys that come to mind like him are big Del and Lote Tuqiri. They call him ‘Semi Trailer’ and he will be a great player.”
Such is Radradra’s lack of NRL knowledge, he is still learning names of rugby league’s elite players.
“You can talk to him about Greg Inglis and Ben Barba and he doesn’t know who they are. He doesn’t really care,” Christodoulou said.
“He has a burning desire to succeed and a necessity to succeed.
“When he arrived at Parra, he refused to sleep in his bed. He said why should I sleep on the bed when my parents sleep on the floor? He would refuse to eat meat because his family can’t afford to eat meat.
“He goes into every game representing his family and his country and he has to kick on to change his family’s future.
“Semi told me he wants to be remembered as the best Fijian ever to play rugby league ... he’s been adamant about that since day one.”
