Dear Ricky Stuart, I am so sorry, I am an idiot. A narrow minded idiot.
Sitting in the comfort of my lounge room, watching you battle away on the sidelines with the Eels, Roosters, Sharks and the Raiders, I questioned your coaching in the most disrespectful manner.
Not to mention my rather blunt and uninformed analysis of your State of Origin record.
I truly believed that you inherited a Roosters team in 2002 that a fool, or me, could have guided to a premiership.
I saw your move to Parramatta as a cheap and profitable one that was motivated by greed and laughed at your subsequent homecoming to the Raiders as some sort of pathetic admission of failure.
I summarised your time at the Sharks as evidence that you didn’t actually have any idea what you were doing.
Even your early time at the Raiders, whose scoring ability was never in doubt, made me laugh. Without a serious defence, the Raiders would continue to be a joke and the coach at the helm would be thought of in the same way, according to this narrow minded fool in need of a football education.
Strangely enough you appeared on League Life this week, a show of whose credentials I was just as sceptical, and the most unlikely combination has humbled me.
By the end of the programme, I had realised the foolishness of my thoughts, comments and attitudes and felt sick to the stomach as a result. The panel asked simple yet poignant questions of you and I sat fascinated by your responses.
Your passion and belief in your players and the tangible connection you have with them, made me rethink my entire attitude towards you as a mentor, a coach and a person.
I loved you as a player. Not so much as a Raider; you knocked off my Dogs more times than not, but more as a Blue who reigned as halfback through the early nineties in a dominant New South Wales team that would go down in history.
Watching your combinations with Ken Nagas, Laurie Daley and Mal Meninga was a privilege, yet the way you spoke about Mal on Wednesday night was moving and gave a telling insight into your coaching philosophy.
You spoke eloquently about the figure that was Meninga. The way the great man walked across the chalk onto the field and made you and every other player better, by instilling a belief and confidence that, as individuals, you had never experienced before.
Connecting the inspirational captain to your current experience in Canberra was done in a seamless manner and I was moved by your comments around the current players and their representational potential.
When you spoke of Jack Wighton, the hosts noted your mood and saw just how close to tears you had become.
When you passionately expressed your hope that all of your players were selected in rep teams without any concern for potential injuries or disruption to the Raiders’ season, I knew I had judged and sentenced you unfairly.
The discussion on the legends of the Raiders and the manner in which the club attempts to keep their legacy alive was inspiring. Having Dean Lance attend an informal lunch and talk about the glory days of the Raiders, reeked of astute planning and strategy.
Your subsequent insistence that the current success of the squad was not so much of your doing yet rather a by-product of the commitment of the squad and their professionalism in preparing for matches, tipped me over the edge and made me a Ricky Stuart fan for life.
Or so I thought, until I saw the end of the interview with the League Life panel and realised that your personal life was the heart and soul of everything that you stand for, believe in and apply in your everyday coaching philosophies.
There has been extensive coverage of your beautiful, autistic daughter Emma. Most within the rugby league community are aware of your love for your special little girl.
Less are probably familiar with the charitable foundation you have set up to assist kids with a myriad of disabilities and issues that place them outside the so called ‘norm’.
Seeing your face and hearing your words as you spoke about children, brought me to tears and the images selected by the Fox Network provided a beautiful backdrop to the profound impact you are having in the local community.
When you spoke of your wife, Kaylie and the persistence and patience she has shown in her care for Emma, all the while being a mother to other children, a loving wife and a woman who has never once complained about the challenges she faces on a daily basis, I saw a better man than I will ever be.
It was only then that I started to connect the dots and see the link between the care, passion and concern that you show towards your players, as an extension of the man that you are.
To top things off, you managed to compose yourself, give the League Life panel kudos for their work and express a sincere hope that the show continues to grow. So much so, that you have been invited back already.
It was a great half hour and a life changing one for me. I had you pegged as a great player riding the coat tails of a successful career, earning gig after gig as a coach, based on nothing more than playing reputation.
After listening to you speak as a mentor, a man, a father and a husband, I realise how narrow and shallow my opinion towards you has been.
As a writer, I hope our paths cross in the near future, so I can shake your hand and express my apology to you in person.
Undoubtedly, a case of the better man winning.
I hope I can return serve and be the better man one day, when a narrow minded fool casts unfair judgements upon me.
I am sorry.
steveng
Roar Rookie
I'm not one to say 'I've told you so'! But I will. I was continually knocked and abused (on the Roar) for standing up to Ricky and predicting that Sticky Ricky will get the Raiders to the top. Its about time that an honest article was written about Sticky as we need more and more people like him in the game of RL. Good work Stuart!
Browny
Guest
Great interview on League life, as the interviewers asked terrific questions and avoided the cliches. Nice humility Stuart to acknowledge a different view of 'Sticky' and why he cares.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Hannah was really good on NITV and she really mixes it with the lads on Matt Johns' show.
The Barry
Roar Guru
And a lot of players but that's not what gets reported. The 80/20 rule in effect.
Andy
Guest
Great article Stuart, I too have been harsh on Ricky over the years, but have read and seen footage previously of some of what he's been doing down there in Canberra, so have softened my opinion of him, and was pleased to see him pick up coach of the year last year. It was a great interview last night, the ladies on League Life have done a great job thus far, but I always thought they would when the show was announced. With Yvonne and Lara it would struggle to be bad with their knowledge, Hannah did a year on NITV's League show last year and was solid there, and despite not being so sure about Jess' credentials coming on to the show she's hung in there okay, albeit at times trying too hard to ask the hard questions. Great concept by Fox, hopefully they get expanded to an hour next year.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
All true Barry, I never really respected him as a coach. Sure there were a few good moments and things look great right now, yet I realised that I looked at him through some pretty foggy glasses. Never really understood some of the circumstances around decisions on players, strategy and planning and also didn't see the decent man who was trying his heart out to get his team playing their best footy. Dare I say, most NRL coaches are probably pretty much the same. My youngest child's godmother is the headmistress as a significant private school in Sydney, where our mentor Des sends his daughter. She tells me often how wonderfully committed and involved he is at the school and the time and energy he puts into fundraising and the like. I'm sure there would be similar stories about most coaches.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
A fair summation. Few other coaches would be a little envious of that record. Stats and result driven game, if you get the result, I guess you must be at least half decent at what you do.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Thanks Matt, I'm not sure why I assumed I wouldn't like the program. I have series linked it for the future. Perhaps a little institutionalised misogyny on my behalf. Ashamed.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Nice article Stuart. I've always thought Ricky Stuart was harshly judged as a person and a coach. His Roosters record was very good. Everyone say he only won the 02 comp because he inherited a great side. But Gould and Murray were unable to win premierships with pretty much the same side. Gould never made a GF, Stuart made three in a row. His 2008 season with the Sharks was exceptional. They finished equal first on points with the great Manly and (illegal) Melbourne teams, finishing third on for and against. When you look at the Sharks roster with players like Kearney, Cowell, Pomeroy, Seymour, Fraser Anderson, Bryson Goodwin it was an outstanding achievement when you compare their roster with Manly and Melbourne's. He went to Parra who were coming off a spoon and I'm sure fans there would be filthy about the way he left, no one could have turned things around in that time. His recruitment at Canberra and the way he's got the best out of his players has been exceptional. It seems obvious now but who would have thought guys like Leilua, Rapana, Soliola, Hodgson, Whitehead, Austin, etc would be so successful. They were very much bits and pieces players. Plus he's got guys like Wighton, Croker and Papalii playing better than at any point in their careers. People have always said things like "if you don't count his 02 premiership and add in another two spoons that he would have gotten at Parramatta then his record isn't very good."
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop...or is close enough good enough?
The Barry
Roar Guru
That was one syllable off being a rugby league haiku Tim.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Rubbish comment again. This article is about Ricky Stuart as a person and a coach not the prospects of the Raiders winning the title this year. But as per usual you have to take the opportunity to dump a bucket of cold water on the Raiders and give us your 'expert' opinion. Can you find another team to death ride? I'm getting really sick of reading you're negative comments
Swannies
Guest
Raiders premiership window is 2018. They have only 1 shot at it before they'll have to off-load some of the upcoming stars. They won't fit them all under the salary cap. Been a long 23 years in Canberra since they have done anything of note!
Geoff Foley
Roar Rookie
A coach's results reflect not just his coaching ability but they players at his disposal, the club culture and the strength of the board behind it all. He was onto a winner at a very strong Easts playing group with a stable board, with the team trailing off after 3 GFs in a row- understandable. Yes he didn't do that well at the Sharks over his four years but he did get an average team to a prelim without any money and a poor board and a culture that was only equalled by the early 2000s Dogs. He didn't have the support to bring in players he wanted nor change the direction of the club. Took a few more years before that ship was turned around. The Eels were a basket case- no-one could have done well there. And now he is back home, has a team that he moulded himself and is supported by a strong board and playing group. Et voila- second place last season, will be top four again this year and a genuine premiership threat. So 1 premiership, 3 GFs, 2 prelims, 1 minor prem- pretty bloody good record I'd say
Geoff Foley
Roar Rookie
Mate, there wasn't a cap in the 80s and it was only brought in for the 1991 season- for which the raiders were heavily penalised for being way over the cap due to existing contracts in place. The team was gutted, losing a lot of depth, and it nearly sent the club broke. They were out at Belco Mall rattling tins just to pay the bills. The Raiders board are impeccable in their adherence to the cap rules- when they have gone over in the recent past, it has been because of injuries requiring players to be elevated into the top 25- and done with full NRL oversight. Players have come to Canberra either for the NRL opportunity that none others would provide (Hodgo, Whitehead, Turner), or because they are looking for a new club to be first choice. You only need to look at Austin, Sia, Sezer, BJ, Rapana etc to see how much they have been improved by Ricky and the club. The locals now want to stay too- in another era we could easily have lost Boyd and Cotric to the big clubs in Sydney. Having said all this, it will be a short premiership window before the salary cap bites again with all the top talent on the pitch now. A few of these players will have to be moved on after 2018.
Steve
Guest
I don't like the bloke, nor do I rate his coaching. I do rate his passion for the game and his commitment. But I'll continue to be a harsh judge of his results.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Sorry that was a predictive text disaster on a mobile. But thanks for the jab. No need to explain a third part agreement to me thanks. Have a lovely afternoon. Thanks for reading.
Matt
Guest
I am one of the converted as well. Like you I thought he was given a team that was ready to win the premiership at the Roosters. My biggest query was that he didn't seem to be developing the younger players. the established ones I thought were getting his message, but his message seemed to be getting lost on the younger members of his squad. It was only after I saw another interview a couple of years back that I realised that it wasn't that his message wasn't getting through is that his belief on his players was getting in the road of his message. He had too much faith in them to do the job and couldn't turn it around when they didn't perform to his expectations that he fully had in them. I truly believe that he will leave a great legacy in his second coming at the Raiders. His passion and belief coupled with his links to the past triumphs of the club will create a culture of success and also in creating better men. Regarding League Life, I didn't share your reservations though. I thought the concept was great as soon as they announced the show. All of the girls bring a wealth of knowledge about the game and each have a different insight into what appeals to them individually and what is great about the game. The way they engage with the guests they have on is also a winner. Hopefully the show will keep on bringing stories from off the field to show the life outside of football that all participants in the game of rugby league have. Great article.
Britexit
Guest
Firstly its arboretum or is your spelling close enough for this site and readership. secondly TPAs is a euphemism for paying over the cap like the raiders did throughout the 80s/90's
Justin Kearney
Guest
Great article mate. Well done. Stewart is a wierd dude. I like him. He is a good man.