| Stuart in 2009 | ||||||
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Sticky[1] | |||||
| Born | 7 January 1967 Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | |||||
| Weight | 83 kg (13 st 1 lb) | |||||
| Position | Halfback | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1988–98 | Canberra Raiders | 203 | 39 | 7 | 25 | 195 |
| 1999–00 | Bulldogs | 40 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Total | 243 | 41 | 7 | 27 | 205 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1990–94 | New South Wales | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1990–94 | Australia | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Coaching information | ||||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W% |
| 2002–06 | Sydney Roosters | 130 | 79 | 1 | 50 | 61 |
| 2007–2010 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 74 | 33 | 0 | 41 | 45 |
| Total | 204 | 112 | 1 | 91 | 55 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Gms | W | D | L | W% |
| 2004 | Country Origin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| 2005 | New South Wales | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 67 |
| 2006–08 | Australia | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 91 |
| 2011 | New South Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 |
| Source: Rugby League Project | ||||||
Ricky Stuart (born 7 January 1967 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series. Stuart had previously been coach of the Blues, as well as the Australian national side, and has coached National Rugby League clubs, the Sydney Roosters (taking them to three consecutive grand finals from 2002–2004) and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
A former international representative rugby league and rugby union player – a dual-code international – Stuart also played State of Origin for New South Wales in the first Gould era. At club level, Stuart was the half-back of the "Green Machine", the Canberra Raiders team that won three premierships in 1989, 1990 and 1994 and were runners-up in 1991 who were coached by Tim Sheens. As a player Stuart was noted for his ability to throw long, spiralling passes to both the left and right sides of the field.[2]
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Stuart had originally played rugby league as a child and his father was a prominent member of Canberra's football community but he took up rugby union while attending St Edmund's College.[3] Stuart's union career was with the Queanbeyan Whites before being selected for the Wallabies tour of Argentina in 1987. Stuart would later remark that he could have earned more playing union due to what he called "shamateaurism" (the act of Rugby teams making "under the table" payments to so called "amateur" players), than by moving back to his childhood game of league..
Stuart then switched codes to league and joined the Canberra Raiders team in 1988, winning the club's player of the year award that season. He was a key member of the club's most successful period in the late 1980s and early 1990s, playing halfback inside a backline including legendary talents Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and Gary Belcher. Stuart won three premierships with the Canberra Raiders, playing 203 games and winning the Clive Churchill Medal in 1990. In 1992 and 1993 he was again named the Raiders' player of the year and in 1993 Stuart won the Dally M Medal for the Winfield Cup's Player of the Year.
Ricky Stuart debuted in the 2nd test of the 1990 Kangaroo tour against Great Britain in London in October 1990. His first test of the 94 tour was also the 2nd test. He was preceded both times by Allan Langer. His 1990 appearance saw him become Australia's 38th dual code rugby international, following Michael O'Connor and preceding Scott Gourley. He played nine test matches for Australia from 1990, touring with the Australian side to Great Britain and France in 1990 and 1994. Stuart also played fourteen State of Origin matches for New South Wales. He was named man-of-the-match in the second game of the 1990 series.
Stuart retired from first grade after playing 40 games for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 1999 and 2000.
Stuart began his first grade coaching career in 2002 with the Sydney Roosters, taking over from Graham Murray and winning the premiership in his first year as coach. The following season he took the Roosters to the 2003 NRL grand final but they lost to the Penrith Panthers. The 2004 Stuart-coached Roosters side was also beaten in the Grand Final, but the team struggled in 2005 and 2006 despite the high calibre of the player roster. Stuart's contract was terminated and he left the Roosters two weeks before the end of the 2006 season.
In 2007 Stuart took over from Stuart Raper as head coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks with a two year contract, which was then extended to the end of the 2011 playing season.
But on May 24, 2010, with 18 months left on his contract, Stuart announced his resignation from the end of the 2010 season, handing the job over to current Sharks assistant coach, Shane Flanagan.[4]
Despite the Sharks making the preliminary finals in 2008, Stuart's time with the club was marred by a horror year in 2009. Not only was the club in dire financial straits [5] but the Cronulla Sharks club was also tarnished by media allegations about a 2002 group-sex incident involving former Sharks players, player Reni Maitua's dismissal after testing positive to drugs,[6] removal of the captaincy from key player Paul Gallen, accused of racist remarks despite evidence of his non-racist stance,[7] several unsavoury incidents involving now-disgraced CEO Tony Zappia (including his assault of a female staff member and involvement in an insurance-fraud fan donation scandal).[8]
Stuart has indicated that he wants to coach another NRL club in 2011.[9]
In 2005, Stuart was appointed coach of the New South Wales. His coaching approach continued the Phil Gould legacy of matching the Queensland passion by focussing the NSW players' pride in the jumper and achievements of those who have worn it before. Although Stuart only coached the NSW side for just one series, the Blues managed to win the series 2-1 after having lost the first match in high drama. On November 17, 2010 Stuart was appointed as the state's first full-time coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team for two years with a get-out clause for the 2012 series should Stuart return to NRL coaching. Stuart remains as the last man to ever win a State of Origin series for New South Wales with Queensland having dominated ever since.
Stuart coached the Blues for the 2011 series, which was lost to the Maroons by two games to one. Stuart, however, achieved his promise that the Blues would win at least one game that series, that being Game II. The Blues' win in Game II brought belief amongst the NSW media and fans that the dark times of the past five years would soon come to an end but all that belief was for nothing as New South Wales were humiliated convincingly in the third and deciding Origin match by a scoreline of 34–24.
In December 2005 Stuart was appointed as coach of Australian national rugby league team, replacing Wayne Bennett after Australia's loss in the 2005 Tri-Nations final to New Zealand by a scoreline of 24-0.[10] This meant that Stuart had to stand down as coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team. Stuart enjoyed success with the Kangaroos: winning the Anzac Tests of 2006 and 2007, as well as the 2006 Tri-Nations. In addition, at the end of the 2007 season, the team won a one-off Test against New Zealand.
At the 2008 Rugby League World Cup the Kangaroos dominated their opposition and Ricky Stuart took the team undefeated to the final against New Zealand. Despite their favouritism, the Kangaroos lost 20–34. Following an outburst at officials after the game Ricky Stuart stood down his position as Australian coach and was handed a $20,000 fine.
Stuart's Australian team lost the 2008 Rugby League World Cup final to New Zealand, 34–20. Afterwards he was reported to be so incensed by the defeat that he verbally attacked Geoff Carr, the Chief Executive of Australian Rugby League, claiming that tournament organizers and match officials conspired to cause the Australian loss.[11] The next morning he had a chance meeting with Ashley Klein, who refereed the final, and Stuart Cummings, England's director of referees, at their hotel. He is reported to have verbally abused both officials in front of a number of witnesses, calling Klein a cheat, and of being physically and aggressively intimidating.[12]
| Ricky Stuart – Coaching Results by Season[13] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Team | Year | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | Finals Series |
| Sydney Roosters | 2002 | 28 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 71% | NRL Premiers |
| 2003 | 27 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 70% | Runners-up (lost Grand Final to Penrith Panthers) | |
| 2004 | 27 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 78% | Runners-up (lost Grand Final to Bulldogs) | |
| 2005 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 46% | – | |
| 2006 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 33% | – | |
| Cronulla Sharks | 2007 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 42% | – |
| 2008 | 25 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 71% | Preliminary finalists (lost to Melbourne Storm in the preliminary final) | |
| 2009 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 21% | – | |
| Career | 203 | 112 | 1 | 90 | 55% | ||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mal Meninga |
Canberra Raiders captain 1995–97 |
Succeeded by Laurie Daley |
| Preceded by Graham Murray 2000–2001 |
Coach Sydney Roosters 2002–2006 |
Succeeded by Chris Anderson 2007 |
| Preceded by Stuart Raper 2004–2006 |
Coach Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2007–2009 |
Succeeded by Shane Flanagan Mid-2010-onwards |
| Preceded by Phil Gould 2002–2004 Craig Bellamy 2008-2010 |
Coach New South Wales State of Origin 2005 2011- |
Succeeded by Graham Murray 2006–2007 incumbent |
| Preceded by Wayne Bennett 2004–2005 |
Coach Australia 2006–2008 |
Succeeded by Tim Sheens 2009– |
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