What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Opinion Is Ricky Stuart the most overrated coach ever?

Messages
16,034
Aside from my team, there's nothing more I am looking forward too then watching the Ricky Stuart Circus.

Raiders fans turning on him by round 12 will be epic as well!
 
Messages
33,280
Regarding Ricky Stuarts coaching record at the Roosters

Try researching Ricky Stuart with John Cartwright as assistant - then Ricky Stuart after John Cartwright left (halfway through 2005) and see how Ricky's record stacks up.

For the record, in 2005 we were in the top 8 during the first half of the season. We failed to make the top 8 that year - dropping from 4th to 9th once Ricky was left to fend for himself.

We came 14th out of 15 in 2006.

Um, didn't John Cartwright turn up to Easts in 2004?

Stuart's coaching career took a noticeable nose dive when he stopped feeding off Phil Gould and Brad Fittler retired.
 

hybrid_tiger

Coach
Messages
11,684
I also take issue with the thread itself, aside from his media mates, Stuart is pretty much the least rated coach in the comp right now, so it's pretty hard to be over-rated when everyone thinks your the worst coach to ever pick up a clip board

I can't think of a single, influential person in the RL media who has taken Stuart to town on his abysmal coaching record, so he is extremely overrated.

Plus he keeps getting coaching jobs so people who matter clearly rate him.
 

Walt Flanigan

Referee
Messages
20,727
I can't think of a single, influential person in the RL media who has taken Stuart to town on his abysmal coaching record, so he is extremely overrated. Found these with a quick Google search.

Plus he keeps getting coaching jobs so people who matter clearly rate him.

Not sure who you rate as influential, but there's been plenty of stories about his poor coaching record of late.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...coach-since-2009/story-fniabjcr-1226717662185

http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/...-now-on-the-line/story-fn2mcuj6-1226717419211

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...art-untouchable/story-fni3ga7r-1226698016315#

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...nt-equipped-to-do-the-job-20130909-2tff4.html
 
Messages
13,793
When Ricky Stuart came to the Roosters he inherited an established side, he only tinkered with their defensive structure and left the attack pretty much as is. Only signing of note in his first year he was responsible for was Brett Mullins. All the other players were signed by others. Every year from 2002-2004 Stuart mention leading into each season how he wanted to ease the burndens on the rep players, but ever year he made them back up time after time - they go no respite. In fact as the seasons went on Stuart showed a propensity to not use his bench well, he was so programmed on when to make interchanges you could predict to the minute when his first 4 interchanges would be made for each game.

The one thing that also stood out was how unwilling Stuart was to blood players from the lower grades into first grade. Barring injury he rarely blooded anyone. Thus when Freddy retired at the end of 2004, he had no one ready to fill the five eighth position, and as other players left (e.g. Jason Cayless) he didn't call up anyone from the lower grades either.

Fact is I heard some horror stories about Stuart's comments made to players in the lower grades, some coming to them duing halftime of the lower grade games in the sheds. Suffice to say that I hold the person who told me them as credible, the stories of what he said would not be confidence building to the players involved to say the least.

Stuart parlayed the 2002 premiership win into having full control over all football operations, including retention and recruitment. He never replaced Brad Fittler, he never replaced Jason Cayless either. That is how we wound up with the Brett Firman experiement and the experiment of Craig Fitzgibbon playing front row.

When he left the Roosters at the end of 2006, the club was in a worse position than when he arrived.

He followed a similar pattern at Cronulla. Did well in his first year, when he left 3 years later, the place was worse off.

Frankly based on that, you would only use Stuart as a short term coach with an established squad which needs some shine put on it. If you are looking at him as a coach to develop a club from the lower grades, in the medium term, I think he is not the right choice at all.
 

ParraSteve

Juniors
Messages
718
Ricky is a great deflector, whether that be blaming a crap roster or the refs, he does his best to make himself look good.
 

God-King Dean

Immortal
Messages
46,614
I can't think of a single, influential person in the RL media who has taken Stuart to town on his abysmal coaching record, so he is extremely overrated.

Plus he keeps getting coaching jobs so people who matter clearly rate him.

In this sport, whether it's a commentary position, rep selection, board room, media positions, or media bias - it's all about who you know.

Stuart is friends with the right people.
 
Messages
15,545
I see that Ricky Stuart is up to his old tricks again.

Been at Canberra for five minutes and he has instituted the following materstrokes-

- He has moved a half back to hooker
- A lock / 5/8 to half back
- A centre to 5/8.

So, basically, the majority of his spine are playing out of their normal positions.

Predictably, after the first round Canberra loss, his comments were - "They are young" and "give them time". This is exactly what he said of Parramatta after their first few losses last year.

Based on this, I reckon we have about 4 or 5 more weeks of failure before he predictably chucks in the towel with his current squad, sacks half of them and declares this season as a total loss because he doesn't have the players around him to succeed.

Lets see if I'm close to the mark?
 

Patorick

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,985
I see that Ricky Stuart is up to his old tricks again.

Been at Canberra for five minutes and he has instituted the following materstrokes-

- He has moved a half back to hooker
- A lock / 5/8 to half back
- A centre to 5/8.


So, basically, the majority of his spine are playing out of their normal positions.

Predictably, after the first round Canberra loss, his comments were - "They are young" and "give them time". This is exactly what he said of Parramatta after their first few losses last year.

Based on this, I reckon we have about 4 or 5 more weeks of failure before he predictably chucks in the towel with his current squad, sacks half of them and declares this season as a total loss because he doesn't have the players around him to succeed.

Lets see if I'm close to the mark?
TBF, I think those will all end up be proven to be the right calls.

At least with Wighton and McCrone.

Not sold on Campese at halfback yet.
 

Walt Flanigan

Referee
Messages
20,727
Wighton played his junior footy at 5/8. Ricky is simply looking to the future with that move, it was always going to be either Milford or Wighton.

McCrone to hooker has made many fans happy.
 
Messages
15,545
Well... It's only early, but based on what I witnessed on the weekend, Wighton has little to no passing or kicking game and looks to be an out and out 3/4.

McCrone just looks like a halfback playing at hooker.

Campese just looked a little lost.

Maybe they will all find their feet and start to excel in these positions, but it certainly didn't look very cohesive last weekend. It didn't look like they'd been training in those positions for a few months.

As I mentioned earlier, we wait and see what things look like at the round 6 or 7 mark but at the moment, it has all the trade marks of another Ricky balls up.
 
Messages
15,545
Whats the go with Mitch Cornish?

I thought he'd be the starting half back this year? Is he playing NYC / QLD cup this year? I didn't notice him listed in your 20's side last week. Is he injured?

I reckon he'd have to be a big chance of playing some NRL this year, surely?
 

mongoose

Coach
Messages
11,215
Firstly mccrone is a crappy halfback. Campese has always been our dominant playmaker when fit, so putting him in the 7 jersey doesnt change anything. Wighton is a work in progress but I agree he doesnt look like a 5/8 to me either.
 

canberra_raiders2k2

First Grade
Messages
6,255
I think he is using Wighton based on his aggressive tackling. Unlike several other teams, we do not have to hide our halves on away from the action, I mean Campo is big enough to play in the backrow and wighton hits like a backrower.

Cornish is a talent, seems a waste to have him out of the team.
 

nick87

Coach
Messages
12,250
I see that Ricky Stuart is up to his old tricks again.

Been at Canberra for five minutes and he has instituted the following materstrokes-

- He has moved a half back to hooker
- A lock / 5/8 to half back
- A centre to 5/8.

So, basically, the majority of his spine are playing out of their normal positions.

Predictably, after the first round Canberra loss, his comments were - "They are young" and "give them time". This is exactly what he said of Parramatta after their first few losses last year.

Based on this, I reckon we have about 4 or 5 more weeks of failure before he predictably chucks in the towel with his current squad, sacks half of them and declares this season as a total loss because he doesn't have the players around him to succeed.

Lets see if I'm close to the mark?


- McCrone isnt a halfback's arsehole as anyone who has seen us play in the last 2 years will testify too. McCrone has been moved to hooker because he cant play halfback and we dont have a hooker, it's a trial to basically save McCrone's career, he either makes it as a #9-14 hooker/super sub or he's going to wind up out of canberra. Because he sure as hell isnt a halfback

- Campese's knees are totally and utterly shot, the guy can not run the football consistantly anymore, he plays as a halfback, the only thing Stuart has done is put him in the right jersey

- Wighton played almost his entire junior career at 5/8th, every coach who has ever coached him has spoken about his future in the halves, Furner, Gould, Stuart, Daley, Johns, Barrett and Freddy are just a short list of people who have raved about his potential as a ball player based on what they've seen in training (be it at club or during his CvC/Ind all Stars training sessions) . The Raiders have been planning for at least 18 months (about the time they decided to bank on Cornish over Williams) for a future halves of Wighton-Cornish.
All Stuart has dont is put Wighton in the halves earlier than we had planned. The reasoning for this is probably so we're not blooding 2 rookie halves.


I mean if your going to bump a thread to throw the cheap shots in, having modicum of an idea about what your talking about is probably a good start.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top