Phil Gould vs Ricky Stuart: and the winner is …
Columnist By Spiro Zavos, 7 May 2008 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
When good mates fall out there is often hell to play.
This is what seems to have happened with the rugby league guru Phil Gould and Ricky Stuart, former rugby league great and now the coach of the Sharks and the Kangaroos.
Complicating the fall out, and adding tension to it, is the fact that Gould has a cult following on television and for his columns and opinion pieces in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun-Herald.
Gould often, and without fear, criticises the NRL and the control exercised over it and the money taken out of the code by News Ltd.
During the Super League crisis, Gould was an organiser and spruiker for the continuing dominance of traditional structures and organisation which were in a life-and-death struggle against the News Ltd takeover bid.
News Ltd is an organisation that takes no prisoners. It believes that it and it alone is the voice of rugby league. It runs a 16-page section on Mondays devoted to all the weekend’s league matches.
The Sunday Telegraph is equally replete with rugby league articles, with Ricky Stuart’s rather prosaic and mundane column being billed (in opposition to Gould’s guru status, perhaps?) as The Game’s Best Thinker.
Gould’s opposition to the News Ltd Super League struggle has clearly never been forgotten and forgiven.
Ricky Stuart was one of the defectors to Super League, and this divergence of allegiances may well be at the heart of the fallout, despite the intervening years.
When Stuart finished his distinguished playing career, Gould was something of a mentor to him as he created a new career as a coach. There was talk, for instance, that Gould was helpful during Stuart’s stint as coach of the Roosters. There is no suggestion that Stuart at the Sharks has had the same sort of support from Gould.
This brings us to Phil Gould’s hatchet job on Stuart in the Sun-Herald (4 May 2008) titled: ‘Stuart’s halfback quest littered with casualties.’
The essential argument in the piece is this: Ricky Stuart was a great halfback but during his ‘short and distinguished’ career as a coach has been a harsh judge of those who wear the number 7 jersey.
By implication, the argument makes the case that Stuart destroys halfbacks. By further implication, Stuart is not a great coach (this is my implication from the piece, I hasten to add).
Gould goes through all the halfbacks who haven’t worked well with Stuart’s methods and experimentations: Jonathan Thurston, Ben Hornby, Paul Green, Joe Williams, Craig Wing, Luke Phillips, Chris Flannery, Justin Holbrook, Brett Finch, Brett Firman, Jamie Soward, Josh Lewis, Grant Rovelli and now Brett Kimmorley.
The article started with the assertion that the Sharks ‘are trying to dump’ Kimmorley. And ended with the punch-line: ‘The Sharks may not want him but that doesn’t mean he can’t play.’
Biff! Bam! Wallop!
Phil Gould was a good player and a great coach. Ricky Stuart was a great player and (seemingly in the eyes of Gould) not a great coach.
Who is the winner in this argument?
Recommend this story.
- Explore:
May 8th 2008 @ 4:11pm
cosmos forever said | May 8th 2008 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
I know this is about Gus and Ricky, but further to my earlier post – have a look at what game is on sunday on 9:
Wide World of Sport presents Parramatta Eels v St George Illawarra Dragons from ANZ Stadium. Join your expert commentary team for all the action.
I’m not sure if I hate news for trying to take over the game as much as I hate 9 for trying to do away with any team outside of 5 Sydney teams by simple never covering them…
May 8th 2008 @ 7:56pm
Phil Coorey said | May 8th 2008 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
I like Gould. His columns are excellent most of the time and I seem to learn a thing or two when I read them. Except he said Soths were home on Sunday and I thought we would lose for sure.
Stuart only had success at the Roosters when the Bulldogs were kicked out and he had Fittler to hold the teams ahnd around the paddock.
Bitter, me? Never…
May 8th 2008 @ 10:30pm
The Answer said | May 8th 2008 @ 10:30pm | Report comment
Plato,
Dream on. People who still hold a News Ltd grudge are just bitter. News pretty much have want they wanted anyway. Rugby League on their pay TV channel. 100 year old clubs were kicked out long before News Ltd got involved…Newtown, Glebe???
There have been petty arguments in all sport since year dot. Stop jumping at shadows.
I think it was Napolean who said “Don’t look for conspriacy when the cause is likely to be incompetence”
Phil Gould falls out with just about everyone he comes across.
May 16th 2008 @ 6:52am
Darcy said | May 16th 2008 @ 6:52am | Report comment
I always had the impression that Ricky Stuart capitalised on what Phil gould and Graham Murray built at the Roosters. When he had to be creative with Fittler et al moving on he was found wanting. He’s someone who seems to flog a dead horse, i.e. try harder and harder doing the same thing without really being able to reinvent himself. As for Cronulla, well if Gibson couldn’t win a comp there, Ricky Stuart certainly won’t.
As for their columns, well Gould’s columns win hands down. I learn alot from reading them. I have never learned a thing from Stuart’s.
July 8th 2008 @ 10:51am
Jason Gray said | July 8th 2008 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Stuart is actually my all-time favourite rugby league player and the ‘vs’ battles he seems to get himself into continue to amuse.
Stuart vs Allan Langer for the Aussie No. 7 jersey
Stuart vs Laurie Daley for the Canberra captaincy, post-Mal Meninga
Stuart vs A.R.L. during the Super League War
Stuart vs Kevin Neil (Raiders exec) before leaving for the Bulldogs
It’s Stuart vs the world.
You might accuse him of not being able to reinvent himself (though, my bias remembers two Kangaroo tours in a row in 1990 and 1994 where he ousted Langer for the No.7 spot to lead Australia to series wins), but he’s got no problems inventing new enemies.
But for mine, the man’s a conqueror, an achiever, with a passion for the game not many rival. But if he’s not careful, he may one day become like Gould is today, and undermine his achievements with his mouth.
Should take a leaf out of Peter Sterling book of dignity, he may well continue to prove his critics wrong.
December 3rd 2008 @ 8:46pm
Worlds Biggest said | December 3rd 2008 @ 8:46pm | Report comment
Nice one Spiro, did you notice in Gould’s ” The analyst ” article he referred to ” The Games Best Thinker ” as Mr Stuart throughout. You know things are grim between the two if first names aren’t mentioned. Gould was a mentor to Stuart in his early years coaching the Roosters. In saying this I think Gus has resented Stuart since he won the 2002 Premiership and guided the to Grand Finals in 03 & 04. Gus didn’t have anywhere near the success in his term as Roosters Coach. He didn’t even take them to a Grand Final. I believe Gould craved more praise for turning the Club into a power but that kudos went to Nick Politis, Ricky Stuart and Brad Fittler. Gould has a massive ego and needed to vent his frustrations at someone and Stuart was number 1 on his list. Mind you I agree with Gould in that Stuart should have been punted, no question at all.