To paraphrase someone who should know better, launching a personal attack via a media conference on someone you could speak to directly at the same venue is the action of a weak-gutted person. A dog act, if you will.
Ricky Stuart deserves to be banned for his bizarre and callous tirade against Panthers five-eighth Jaeman Salmon on Saturday night.
If he doesn’t get suspended now, he never will.
This incident comes after many fines in previous years for using press conferences to yell about referees, the bunker, clouds.
Stuart could have easily responded to the question about the Salmon kicking incident by saying he thought the player should have been sin-binned, sent off or suspended.
He could have called the act of lashing out with his boot towards Tom Starling’s groin, in true rugby league parlance, “a dog act”.
Jaeman Salmon scores a try. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
But to fly off the handle and claim Salmon was “a weak-gutted dog” for an incident in an under-12s game when he was a teammate of Stuart’s son is beyond ridiculous.
The child at the time of said incident was indeed a child.
The man who was Cronulla’s NRL coach at the time and now holds the same title at the Raiders should indeed have acted like an adult.
Stuart was contacted by Nine reporter Danny Weidler on Saturday night in the aftermath of his meltdown and the coach said he was not backing down from his comments.
So even after walking out of the media conference room, bypassing the opportunity to thrash it out face to face (man to man, you might say) with Salmon in the visitors’ dressing room at GIO Stadium, he did not see the error in his churlish ways.
Funnily enough, the next day when the story was dominating the NRL news cycle anywhere you looked, Stuart issued an apology while also partly explaining the history of his feud with Salmon.
Interestingly, the statement led off not with how sorry he was but that he had said what he said in the press conference.
“I regret saying what I did on that platform after the game.”
Right, but that’s kinda not the point. The heart of the matter is that a senior NRL coach of more than 20 years’ experience shouldn’t be launching personal attacks on a rival player. Just like he shouldn’t have done in past instances when he’s petulantly lashed out at match officials.
“I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and for that I am very sorry.”
It was the kind of apology you put out when you’ve been told you have to do so.
If he had done so on the night of the match, to Salmon or someone from the Penrith camp at the very least in the sheds, it would not sound so hollow the following day.
It wasn’t surprising to see Raiders CEO Don Furner announce on Monday that the club would cop any sanction that comes their way for Stuart’s hissyfit.
“As a club we do not condone the comments … coaches also have a responsibility to ensure they conduct themselves professionally when making public comment.”
The NRL is yet to announce Stuart’s penalty after its integrity unit investigated the matter.
A ban for the final four games of the season is probably over the top but it would send an unequivocal message to Stuart that he’s on thin ice.
Shane Flanagan was the last NRL coach to thumb his nose at sanctions handed down from Rugby League Central and the follow-up penalties have significantly affected his chances of ever landing a main role again.
Tom Starling. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Stuart should at the very least be banned for a couple of games, not just attending the matches but preparing the team at training through the week, which is where the majority of a coach’s work gets done.
The Raiders recently re-signed Stuart until the end of 2025. Was another club trying to pry him away? Unlikely.
He did well in 2019, his sixth season as Raiders coach, to get the team to the grand final, where they were gallant and more than a little unlucky in defeat against the Roosters.
They’ve won five more games than they’ve lost in his 216 games at the helm in the national capital but have made the finals in just three of the eight completed seasons and need to win all four of their remaining matches or that record will become three in nine.
Are these the credentials of a coach that you have to re-sign before another club comes in waving a chequebook?
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Stuart is a premiership-winning coach – that was in 2002, his first year with a clipboard in hand. He lost the next two grand finals with a star-studded Roosters side, he then got Cronulla close to the decider in one of his four seasons at the club but finished 11th, 15th and 14th in the other three.
His one season attempting to rebuild Parramatta resulted in five wins, 19 losses and the infamous whiteboard incident when a bunch of players found out their services were no longer required when they saw their name written in texta during a team meeting.
The NRL’s head honchos should get out a texta, of the red variety, and put it through Stuart’s name for the next two rounds.
Another slap on the wrists in the form of a fine will not be considered strong enough action – the “weak-gutted” rant needs to be countered with some intestinal fortitude by the big dogs.
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Learn the law
Guest
You suspect wrong, Tony. $10-15k max is what Salmon would be getting if it went to court. About half that with an out of court settlement. Possibly only a third. This is kindergarten level defamation. McGowan got $20k from Palmer. Palmer got $5k from McGowan for being called "an enemy of the state". Dutton got $35k for being called FAR worse than a dog. And McGowan/Dutton/Palmer actions were at least national news. This isn't. These "big payouts" you fantasise about do not exist. Salmon has no grounds for any special damages. None. So he can't go and ask for a Geoffrey Rush style payout because he is: a) not earning/being deprived of earning anywhere near the figures Rush earns. b) is currently employed by a club who shows no sign of cancelling his contract. You don't get to claim millions in lost income or hurt if you were never in a position to get it anyway! The law is respectful of both parties. It does acknowledge that people can say things in the heat of the moment and be remorseful. It doesn't look to be permanently and cripplingly punitive on the offender. If Stuart was threatened with legal action, his lawyers would immediately offer a settlement, not because of any potential media circus, but because they'd want to avoid the payment of hefty legal fees to Salmon's team. Nothing more than that. The legal fees would be many many times more than any payout. Once more - these big payouts you think are reality, are fiction. Stop saying it, please.
Learn the law
Guest
For goodness sake. Any defamation suit would lead to a 10k payout, at most. Salmon isn't going to bother.
Tony
Roar Guru
All but over now I reckon
Tony
Roar Guru
Matt, I suspect that Stuart is considering his response to Salmon's lawyers right now. Public defamation trial, media coverage, big distraction, end of career and big payout; or private settlement, non-disclosure agreement and big payout.
Tony
Roar Guru
There's no shortage
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
“ A ban for the final four games of the season is probably over the top”… Seems about right for a serial offender - fines haven’t changed his behaviour, so let’s whack him with a suspension and see how that goes.
Paul Suttor
Expert
Geoff, do you think Stuart's record of three trips to the finals in 8, possibly soon to be 9 years, warranted an early contract extension? Yes he's a club legend & won three titles as a player but his record as Raiders coach is mediocre apart from the 2019 run to the GF
Poss
Roar Rookie
When I heard Kenty talk last night about Ricky Stuart I thought he was opening one of Tony's cans of worms.. :silly:
Aussie D
Guest
I am getting a bit old and my memory is a little foggy, but wasnt't Roy & HGs nickname for Ricky Stuart "squirrel gripper" for an incident with Marty Bella in origin or do I have the wrong player? A squirrel grip is a weak gutter dog act.
Wayne Turner
Guest
Ricky I hold a grudge against a child Stuart should be banned for the rest of the season,fined $100,000,and mantory counseling sessions for Ricky. Under Peter Fail'Landys & Abdon't,the NRL is a disaster. Dumb rule changes,soft penalties for incompetent refs/some foul play by players,and no forward thinking on behaviours.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It's not cheeting the salary cap or taking steroids.
Adam
Roar Guru
All said with tongue firmly in cheek! Panthers were never going to be ambushed last weekend. First weekend without both halves they were never going to be unprepared
Poss
Roar Rookie
Yeah Geoff 100% agree.. I'm not a Ricky Stuart fan never have been,never will be I've got my own criticism of him but what Kenty said last night skirted around it,I've sort of read between the lines,he's a lot of things at times but he fiercely defends his family as we all do.But it certainly wasn't the time to bring it up..But like you said its taken away from what happened to the young Raiders player..
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Wouldn't be surprised if the "ambush" was a media beat up by journos to bring more spice to the game - "a senior Raiders official said .....". Oh yeah who? And then they bring up the Crighton and Luai incidents - the ironic Viking handclap by the Penrith crowd while they are doing a number on the Raiders at home earlier in the season. If you are going to ambush someone or a team you don't announce it beforehand. Otherwise its not an ambush. They wouldn't be that foolish. The Panthers were prepared all right. I think Cleary took them for a 3 day camp down the South Coast beforehand.
jameswm
Roar Guru
"...but for something he allegedly did when 12. The power imbalance here is very concerning." Well said Matt, good point.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I read they were on the same team. What can he have done?
Adam
Roar Guru
Got the ambush gambit the wrong way round that's for sure!
Adam
Roar Guru
I threw a bottle at the head of the kid that lived in our cul-de-sac when I was 12. Certainly hope he doesn't have a job where he can call me a weak gutted dog person in the media!
Cam
Roar Rookie
Ricky doesn't have a great record at the Raiders and maybe the club could do with a change in coach, but history shows this course of action backfires as often as it succeeds. With regards to his comments at the conference, global consensus agrees this was the wrong forum and Ricky abused his position in which to pursue a personal grievance. I will reserve judgement as to whether Ricky has a legit axe to grind. He certainly thinks so and the small pockets of media that are actually aware of all the facts seem to have stuck solid. I have zero idea what triggered Ricky, but hypothetically speaking, say back in the day Salmon had targeted Ricky's daughter Emma, who suffers from pretty severe Autism and is uncappable of speech, well that would almost certainly still trigger a reaction 10 years after the event. This might also explain why Ricky would only give a verbal statement to the Integrity Commission regarding the previous history between the two parties, stating the nature of the issue was too sensitive to include in a written report.
matth
Roar Guru
It's taken Ricky 10 years to not get over something done by a 12 year old. Well mate you got your revenge, because this attack on Salmon will follow him for the rest of his life. Whenever a story is written about his, whenever he is backgrounded for a job, whenever he is sledged by opponents or fans. It will be on the internet long enough for his kids to google him. A professional used his media platform to launch a personal attack on opposing player, not for footballing reasons, but for something he allegedly did when 12. The power imbalance here is very concerning. Ricky should get a rest for the rest of the regular season.