Victor Radley dragged into Brandon Smith drugs drama as Souths refuse to stand star down

Souths confirmed on Monday night that they had no plans to stand-down Smith from their final game of the season despite their new recruit facing drug and betting charges.

There are no suggestions that Radley has done anything wrong and it is understood he is not of interest to Queensland police.

The Rabbitohs’ pledge to stand behind Smith came as it emerged that Radley had been named in a summons outlining the allegations made against his former teammate by Queensland police.

It is understood the summons states that on June 7 at Currimundi in Queensland, Smith did unlawfully supply a dangerous drug namely cocaine to another person, namely Radley.

Currimundi is a suburb on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Radley was in Queensland at the time with teammates because the club was on the bye.

While Smith was not in Queensland with them, under Queensland law, a person who supplies a drug whether they are in the state or not, is guilt my of a crime. “

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Radley.

Radley’s manager Sam Ayoub said he was unaware that his client appeared on the summons when contacted by this masthead on Monday night.

Smith’s lawyer Paul McGirr refused to confirm the identity of the player on the summons but confirmed that they had been mentioned in relation to the allegations against Smith.

“Whilst another current player has been mentioned in the summons I will not comment or elaborate any further as these are allegations only and it’s not my place to do so,” McGirr said.

McGirr confirmed that Smith would fight the allegations.

“Brandon Smith will not be commenting on the allegation in any way,” McGirr said.

“At this stage the matter will be contested. The allegation confirms Brandon wasn’t even in the jurisdiction of Queensland at the time of alleged offending.

“The police have been extremely professional in dealing with Brandon and myself thus far and the matter will need to be left to run its natural course without outside influences.”

Smith has been charged with drug supply and an “inside knowledge” betting offence, after he was interviewed by Queensland police officers at Coolangatta.

The Courier-Mail has confirmed Smith has been charged with one count of supply dangerous drugs and one count of using or disclosing inside knowledge for betting.

The allegations date back to early-June when Smith was still under contract at the Roosters.

Roosters officials were unaware of the potential involvement of the club when contacted on Monday night. However, chair Nick Politis has previously adopted a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drug use, using the pages of this masthead to warn players they will be kicked out of the club if they are caught with cocaine.

The betting allegations against Smith are understood to relate to his return from injury in round 18, when he played against Manly and suffered a knee injury.

Smith, 29, spoke with police in Queensland after arriving ahead of the August 10 Rabbitohs’ match against Gold Coast Titans. At the time, police said Smith spoke with police and was released without charge.

The Courier-Mail understands police who were investigating as part of wider probe, later charged him with two offences.

It’s unclear what the disclosing knowledge for betting charge relates to, however the legislation is related to betting.

South Sydney have the bye this weekend before finishing their season against arch-rivals the Roosters. The Roosters could be playing for a top eight spot in the encounter with the Rabbitohs keen on spoiling their chances.

Smith only joined the Rabbitohs mid-season from the Roosters after an ill-fated two year stint at their cross-town rivals.

It would be the first time he has played against his former club since signing for South Sydney. Smith appeared in 41 games for the Roosters after making a high profile switch from Melbourne.

Smith has played in four games for South Sydney and has started off the interchange in their past three wins including a 40-0 thumping against St George Illawarra last Thursday.

The Rabbitohs had been in line for Wayne Bennett’s first wooden spoon but their winning run will see them avoid a last placed finish.

Originally published as Victor Radley dragged into Brandon Smith drugs drama as Souths refuse to stand star down