As we hurtle headlong towards the business end of the NRL season, coaches at the arse-end of the ladder are no doubt jumping at shadows, fearing ‘faceless men’ are set to strike.
It’s been a suspiciously quiet year on the ‘coach X has the full support of the board’ front, with a small but motley crew of contenders surfacing on the regular among pundits.
- Anthony Griffin, who’s been shown the door despite his Penrith Panthers spending the entirety of 2018 entrenched in the top eight, perhaps because they’re being ghost-coached by Phil Gould.
- Wayne Bennett, whose Brisbane Broncos are set for finals football again, despite disposing of their two best halfbacks and a trio of young forwards who’ve earned rep honours since 2015.
- Trent Barrett, whose Manly Sea Eagles habitually operate in an environment with the political stability of King’s Landing, so his appearance here should be no great surprise.
Assuming sanity is prevailing at other finals-bound clubs, that leaves seven additional also-rans for the vultures to start circling.
One man whose future is secure is Ivan Cleary, who only has to rock up to most NRL clubs’ front office clutching his son, Nathan, for the incumbent’s desk to be quietly packed into some archive boxes.
Less than 12 months past a shock grand final appearance, Paul Green has earned himself a rebuild once JT’s disappointing farewell tour shudders to a halt on the glitter strip. On a related note, Nathan Brown has a Kalyn Ponga-sized ‘get out of jail’ card if his open-ended Knights contract suddenly develops an end date.
Garth Brennan and Dean Pay both escape scrutiny as first-years, with Pay working minor miracles considering he inherited a salary cap mess, a largely NSW Cup standard squad, and a broken Kieran Foran.
As for Parra’s Brad Arthur, coaching a bunch of talented individuals who spend 80 minutes each week screaming blue murder at officials, opponents and each other is probably greater punishment than being sacked.
Which brings us to Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, whose name is rarely mentioned in dispatches.
Five years into Stuart’s post-David Furner rebuild, which has unearthed future Raiders hall-of-famers Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead from England’s deep north, the Raiders have only one finals campaign to their credit. For those keeping score at home, that’s 55 wins from 119 games for a win rate of 46 per cent.
In the 2018 season alone, some of the Raiders’ comic highlights have included:
- A bizarre rotation of halves through the 6, 7, 9 and 14 jerseys across the opening rounds, which may have irrevocably damaged the first-grade prospects of Ata Hingano, or at the least left him very confused.
- Switching the destructive right edge of Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana to the left edge against the Melbourne Storm, a defensive ploy which may have paid off if coach Stuart didn’t replace them with an ageing middle forward in Sia Soliola and fringe first-grader Brad Abbey.
- Blitzing all contenders as the best attacking team in the comp, but having the fourth worst defensive record.
- Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with such monotonous regularity you could set your watch to it.
The final point isn’t as flippant as it sounds. Full disclosure: I’m a Canberra Raiders fan. I’ve been dreading the 65-minute mark of games all season, because that’s when the inevitable implosion begins. Come to think of it, that’s when the implosions began in 2017 as well, and 2015, as if there’s a pattern of behaviour behind it.
The ‘Faders’ sobriquet isn’t just the NRL’s longest running joke that isn’t Paul Carige, and it’s not just funny cos it’s true. It’s an indictment of institutionalised failure that no amount of #RefsFault blame-shifting for the debacle at Shark Park or James Maloney throwing match-winning passes a metre forward can hide.
In fact, if you discount those few months of 2016 that the Raiders were making the Harlem Globetrotters blush, and that time Jason Bulgarelli let a preliminary final berth slip through his fingers in 2003, the Raiders have given fans very little joy for 25 years.
If you were born after 1987 and don’t live in Canberra, there’s no incentive to actively support the club unless you enjoy being a mobile billboard for Huawei. (An apology is due here to my Indian wife, who didn’t know rugby league existed when we met in Delhi in 2016 and has since been indoctrinated. In return, I’ll let you beat us at cricket.)
The portents for 2019 are similarly bleak. While some underperforming deadwood in Shannon Boyd, Junior Paulo and Blake Austin is being shown the door, whatever salary cap space is being freed up isn’t being carefully invested on the open market. Indeed, CEO Don Furner Jr believes the Raiders’ “halves are okay” despite proven inability to ice close games.
‘Leipana’ will be another year older and zanier, with another talented lunatic in Joseph Tapine under their collective wing. Jack Wighton might be in jail. Paul Vaughan and Tavita Pangai Jr will still be plying their trade in colours other than lime green, while Nick Cotric will no doubt feel the lure of a big-city salary sombrero.
And behind the Green Machine’s steering wheel?
A Raiders great whose peerless playing legacy has no doubt earned him another year at the last-chance saloon despite appearing clueless about how to stop the rot.
And the only public figure who the national capital’s ‘faceless men’ seem destined not to knife.
Steve
Guest
His record speaks for itself he went to Roosters took over a side ready to win that Graham Murray made then what happened the rest of his career there ............nothing they went backwards.To the Sharks couldn't get them off the bottom so for memory he quit mid season.Went to Eels quit mid season sitting on the bottom also,did no good with NSW team like most coaches on that one cause they all picked their mates not our best.Now it's the Raiders and how has that been going for him since he has been there,what has happened to the rebuild he promised,let's face it Ricky you are the worst coach ever in the game and as long as the Raiders keep you they will always be the under achievers.
Phil
Guest
Jack Wighton signed his contract extension in May 2017. His assault charge occurred in early 2018.
wayne winchester
Guest
Norhing except coach NSW to a State of Origin series win in 2005.
Forty Twenty
Guest
Bozo had plenty of great backs as a coach but he never had a regular Kangaroo or SOO half or 5/8. Hasler , Lyons and Toovey were fill ins at that role. In saying that all three fulfilled their great potential and became title winning legends under Bozo. Stuart had Fittler who didn't need developing but since then I can't recall one half or 5/8 who have gone anywhere near their potential under him. A huge number of players reached their peak under Bozo , backs and forwards.
RoryStorm
Guest
It is not as simple as most Canberra fans think. You can get rid of the dead wood at Canberra which would probably mean half the playing group, as well as Ricky & it wouldn't help one iota. There have been too many fade outs of games they had by the scruff of the neck for it to be coincidental. It's not the coach's fault. It's certainly not the players fault. Even if you wanted to, you cannot bet against the Canberra Raiders going backwards after the 65th minute. It's not a psychological or confidence problem when you have so many good quality 1st graders in the team. Some one or maybe two people (players or staff) have been shown the door at the Raiders in less than impressive circumstance. He/she or they, have taken exception to their sacking & put a curse on the club. You could not orchestrate any team, in any competition, to start losing from the 65th minute of all games. If you could, the NRL Integrity unit would be onto the Raiders quick smart. It doesnt matter if the Raiders sacked ten different people at the end of the 2016 season. They need to be reinstated immediately on double pay and marked down as the Untouchables. I'm dead serious.
Tony
Guest
Yep.....I even have nightmares when I see the 15 minutes on the countdown clock on Fox.
Remo Shankar
Roar Pro
There's a guy in Barton who includes all these services as part of his standard out-call. I've already texted Ricky the details of the chap.
ReggieRaider
Guest
Lol... the Raiders management deserve every bit of blame possible. I laughed my balls off when I heard my inept club was paying Jack Wighton 800k. Seriously who in management does he have incriminating photos of??
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Good finds sham. The article by Rebecca Wilson is very prophetic. Ricky has had a dream run landing successive coaching jobs with not a lot on his CV. Ricky finds it impossible to acknowledge responsibility for his team's failures - its everybody else's fault - including the refs, the NRL heirarchy, the bunker... He says he knows the problem with the team and that little things will fix it but he doesn't reveal what the problem is and whatever he does on the training track nothing changes from week to week as supporters are forced to watch one disaster after another. I'd love to see the Raiders have some success but I think Ricky may have had his opportunity in 2016 and now the window with him in charge has closed.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Thank you.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Thanks zim. I was sure McCrone was in the mix there somewhere.
Don
Roar Rookie
Bozo must have been pretty good with the halves. Brought Phil Blake into first grade, coached Hasler and Lyons together for years and he also started Toovey in first grade as a kid. All had brilliant years under Bozo.
sham
Guest
The late Rebecca Wilson (who was fearless and talented) was prepared to question Ricky’s record — we can’t say the same for other journalists. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/rebecca-wilson-canberra-raiders-throw-ricky-stuart-thrown-another-lifeline/news-story/2ba2b1d53f900c4c5d83f0fc04d2d2db As for the Gus and Ricky feud here is a key article. See 10 Gus v Sticky. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/dont-say-it-spray-it-the-10-best-tirades-20110716-1hiy5.html I hope that Ricky can turn it around next year I really do. But if they fail to make the 8 next year then surely that is it.
Gary Harvey
Guest
So, we can't make the finals, fell into another pathetic heap last weekend when the game was there to be won, have a bunch of players leaving at the end of the year who look like they don't want to be playing, and a few promising youngsters who are ready for a run in first grade. Ricky's coaching masterstroke, after taking all this into account, is to pick the exact same team. Again. Its beyond a joke. Seriously, what is he getting paid for? Ricky may be a good bloke, was certainly a great player and sure, he bleeds green. But as a coach he is just not up to scratch. Its way past time for the supporters, the club and the media to put the heat on. Maybe a few of Junior Paulo's mate can have a quiet word to him, which would at least mean that Paulo's time in green wasn't a complete waste.
Nat
Roar Guru
re the rep players, I thought that during the ch9 commentary stating the Raiders "only have 1 origin player", yeah and multiple internationals.
Tom G
Guest
It was said that Bob Fulton’s greatest failing as a coach was that he used to compete with his players not coach them. By this he had expectations of his players compared against his own capabilities he himself achieved. This was particularly true of halves and backs. I suspect Ricky falls prey to the same logic which is why6s and 7’s are on high rotation at the Raiders
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Yep - a beer followed by a McLaren Vale Shiraz just aint enough to dull the pain. I need some serious hard drugs or tranquilizers - or maybe I could just hop into a cryogenic chamber and come back to life in ten years time and relaise it was all a bad dream. Your getting some good responses here Kris. I think we've all had enough.
Zavjalova
Roar Rookie
He's done. He literally hasn't done anything since 2002
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
An exorcist would be a good start. How about a witch doctor? These blokes are in serious need of healin. I'd try anything - meditation, Bhuddism, yoga, torture, hard drugs, accountability pills, team management pills
ferret
Guest
Wow TR - hope you're feeling better after getting that load off your chest. (BTW - agree with you wholeheartedly).