Ricky Stuart is well known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, but there is one reason why he despises the cameras being trained on him during NRL matches.
Stuart has earned a reputation as the NRL’s most volatile coach with a series of explosive blow-ups.
In 2007, he called referee Ashley Klein a ‘f***ing cheat’ after a Tri-Nations loss, costing him a $20,000 fine and his Test role. Six years later, as Parramatta coach, he publicly listed 12 players he wanted gone, branding them ‘the cancer’ in the club.
He has stormed out of multiple press conferences, once labelling a journalist a ‘germ’.
His most infamous spray came in 2022 when he called then-Penrith star Jaeman Salmon a ‘weak-gutted dog,’ earning a $25,000 fine and a one-week suspension.
Stuart’s explosions have also earned him the unwanted title of the most-fined coach in NRL history.
Ricky Stuart likes to ride every play from the sideline but he knows his emotion will spill over at times
The veteran coach admits he feels uncomfortable when cameras capture his swearing, saying he hates kids seeing that side of him
Stuart has become known as the NRL’s most volatile coach, collecting fines and headlines with his explosive outbursts
But beneath the intense exterior, there is a softer side to the Raiders coach, who told News Corp there was one thing he hates about his infamous blow-ups.
‘I don’t like kids seeing me swear on TV,’ he said.
It is why the legend of the Green Machine hates having the cameras trained on him when he is on the sideline during tense moments in NRL matches.
‘I do ride each play but I hate it when the cameras are on me because I don’t like kids watching it and seeing me blow up or swear,’ he said.
‘I don’t like the camera in my face but I believe [the sideline] is where I do my best coaching. It’s not about me. It’s wrong of me to kick a chair but I don’t think: ‘I’m going to kick a chair today’. It just happens.
‘I don’t want it to be a theatre. It’s not about entertainment for me, it’s about trying to get a job done. I don’t like being on the camera and I don’t like being on TV on the sideline. I’m not about theatre but theatre sells television rights.
‘I’ve got stats coming down to me from the (coaching) box up top. I’ve got three coaches up high who send down what they need to send down because [the sideline] is where I’m best for the player, best for my team and where I make better decisions.
‘It is something I have done from the early days and I don’t feel comfortable being in the box. I have had coaches who coached me from the sideline and I have built [something similar] from that.’
Canberra have quietly transformed from pre-season long-shots into genuine premiership contenders under Stuart’s gritty leadership.
Ricky Stuart and his Raiders face a massive test this weekend against defending premiers Penrith, a clash he believes will reveal how ready his young squad is for finals football
Away from the blow-ups, Stuart has quietly rebuilt Canberra into genuine premiership contenders with a young, hungry squad
Now they face a crucial test this weekend against Penrith, a potential grand final preview in Mudgee, where both sides will battle for finals positioning and a statement win as the season heads into its home stretch.
‘Penrith has just won four grand finals in a row, they are chasing their fifth and they are well on their way by the way they are playing at the moment,’ Stuart said.
‘They can handle the high-intensity games and they can handle the big occasions. That’s something we have to still be tested on.
‘We are less experienced but, look, we have some very talented players. I don’t know what bearing the big occasion will have on our younger squad but I have no drama with our senior players, who have played rep football.
‘We have a lot of younger players, especially in our spine but one thing I do know is that it will be a wonderful experience for them.
‘Those younger players will be with us for a number of years so those big games will be of great benefit to them. Our senior players are driving the standards. They don’t put up with any shortcuts.’
