Opinion Is Ricky Stuart the most overrated coach ever?

[nick87]

Yeah I think he is doing ok with the Canberra squad but it seems like your whole game plan is run hard and fast and hope that Hodgson or Wighton can create something. Its not a bad plan but there is no plan B, when the power game isnt enough there doesnt seem to be anything else in the plan. CNK is a good fullback but has he improved his game at all since you got him? Watching him he still seems to be the same fullback he was when you first got him.

The two points you made are not unrelated
There is no plan b... because for most clubs, plan a is your block/sweep play to the 2nd man fullback, who either runs or ball plays out to his wider men
that's what most backline movements are
We cant do that, because our fullback cant ball play.

Play b for most clubs is for their play makers, their big guys, to create something on their own. That's our plan a.
CNK is a truly wonderful player in every aspect of fullback play except the one that matters most.

The job Stuart has done at Canberra has objectively been superb. Anyone doubting that is an absolutely kidding themselves and suffering absurd levels of jimmy rustling. Is he perfect? No. He has his positives and negatives like most coaches.

Is he top 2? Yes.
Is he 2? No.

And that just is what it is.

 

[TheDMC]

I suspect it was the inability to overcome the significant injuries that was the result of leaking so many points late
Our middles had no gas left, we have Havilii defending at 2nd row next to a guy who could barely move, least of all tackle. Under those circumstances, we were going to need to be a combination of very tough and resilient, and lucky to get out of that game with a win...

as it turns out we were tough, and resilient, but not only werent we lucky, we got very unlucky in receiving a very clearly incorrect call against us that resulted in 6 points. We were not in a position physically as a team to be able to overcome the circumstances and bad luck

Hmm, not that resilient in the second half.

Canberra had some calls go their way in the second half, which made it much harder for the warriors to run you down. And Rapana blew an almost certain try to win the match.

 

[THE CHAMP]

The only reason Ricky even got to a grand final coaching the raiders was the incredible shafting the refs gave the storm in the semi final against the raiders

 

[BadnMean]

Ricky taking Canberra from being quite a mediocre side to a GF still has me done because on the surface he seems to be quite narcissistic and I can't imagine someone with those sort of personality traits would make a good coach, as mentioned previously he's always blaming everyone else, never taking the blame for anything, etc.

The best coaches seem to be the guys who become "father figures", he must be doing something right within the playing group because the way he portrays himself in the media, you wouldn't want to share a beer with him.

He said on the weekend in the press conference something along the lines of "we were the real winners today, despite the score", that's as disrespectful as it gets to a NZ side who has had probably more to whinge about than any other club in the comp.

That's weird. All the players say he is a players coach, like a father to them, has English players around to his house for chrissy when they are covid stranded, creates a family atmosphere etc etc.

I think WB also comes across as a total d-wad in the media, but players seem to rate him. Maybe depends which side of the tweed (or the Qbyan river) you come from.

 

[BadnMean]

The only reason Ricky even got to a grand final coaching the raiders was the incredible shafting the refs gave the storm in the semi final against the raiders

Yeah, Storm are always getting screwed by the system.

Raiders and Cowboys get all the leg ups. Bloody NRL darlings they are.

 

[bileduct]

Hmm, not that resilient in the second half.

Canberra had some calls go their way in the second half, which made it much harder for the warriors to run you down. And Rapana blew an almost certain try to win the match.

lol... You're comparing regular 50/50 calls to a pass that was so forward it was caught in a different time zone. Ok bro.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Match should have ended at half time at 25-6 for the Raiders. Raiders had way too many injuries to continue on.

Forward pass would never have happened that way and Stick wouldn't have had to crack the sads in the presser. Definitely someone else's fault.

 

[davi]

The only reason Ricky even got to a grand final coaching the raiders was the incredible shafting the refs gave the storm in the semi final against the raiders

That was a dud call Suliasi Vunivalu ruled he touched the sidelines when he didn't. But Storm would have had to score with 1 minute and 20 left on the clock if they had retain possession from the kickoff. That's if the Storm had scored. Lets not start rewriting history by suggesting the Storm definitely would have scored. It wasn't if they were denied a try they shouldn't have been, or the Raiders were allowed a try that shouldn't have been.

 

[shear_joy9]

Ricky's always had an us against the world mentality. Great for building team bonding but makes him look like an asshole from outside. You can criticise him all you want and Ricky couldn't care less

 

[betcats]

Ricky's always had an us against the world mentality. Great for building team bonding but makes him look like an asshole from outside. You can criticise him all you want and Ricky couldn't care less

Yeah he certainly loves being the victim

 

[betcats]

The two points you made are not unrelated
There is no plan b... because for most clubs, plan a is your block/sweep play to the 2nd man fullback, who either runs or ball plays out to his wider men
that's what most backline movements are
We cant do that, because our fullback cant ball play.

Play b for most clubs is for their play makers, their big guys, to create something on their own. That's our plan a.
CNK is a truly wonderful player in every aspect of fullback play except the one that matters most.

The job Stuart has done at Canberra has objectively been superb. Anyone doubting that is an absolutely kidding themselves and suffering absurd levels of jimmy rustling. Is he perfect? No. He has his positives and negatives like most coaches.

Is he top 2? Yes.
Is he 2? No.

And that just is what it is.

So its the fullbacks fault Ricky cant implement a plan B? lol.

 

[nick87]

So its the fullbacks fault Ricky cant implement a plan B? lol.

No, that's not what i said.

I said it's limitations with the fullback that mean we cant run basic structure as plan a.
Stuart obviously feels what CNK gives us other wise offsets that, and feels his team can win and compete for a title without that. And given he's been in the final 4 three times and the big game once in the last 5 years, it's probably fair to say he's been correct about that.

But there really isnt a plan c in NRL footy.
Teams either score through individual brilliance, one player who just makes something happen, or set moves, vast majority of which involving the fullback and ball playing
We can't do the later, so Stuart has filled the team with guys like Hodgson, Wighton, Williams, Tapine, Whitehead, Papalii so he's got plenty of fire power.

it's worth noting this is CNK's 3rd year at fullback, i think the club and coach expected to your earlier point that he'd improve in this area, now that he hasnt and i think we can confidently say he wont, we're starting to see the Raiders take a slightly different attacking structure at times. It's got a long way to go, but if you pay close attention, you'll see the Raiders play the football from half to five-eighth more than virtually any other club, and i expect that structure and the set pieces off that to continue to grow and evolve.

Will it be enough to win a comp? No idea.
But one of the 2 best, and not the 2nd best coaches in the league is implementing it. So success is almost certain to follow

 

[betcats]

No, that's not what i said.

I said it's limitations with the fullback that mean we cant run basic structure as plan a.
Stuart obviously feels what CNK gives us other wise offsets that, and feels his team can win and compete for a title without that. And given he's been in the final 4 three times and the big game once in the last 5 years, it's probably fair to say he's been correct about that.

But there really isnt a plan c in NRL footy.
Teams either score through individual brilliance, one player who just makes something happen, or set moves, vast majority of which involving the fullback and ball playing
We can't do the later, so Stuart has filled the team with guys like Hodgson, Wighton, Williams, Tapine, Whitehead, Papalii so he's got plenty of fire power.

it's worth noting this is CNK's 3rd year at fullback, i think the club and coach expected to your earlier point that he'd improve in this area, now that he hasnt and i think we can confidently say he wont, we're starting to see the Raiders take a slightly different attacking structure at times. It's got a long way to go, but if you pay close attention, you'll see the Raiders play the football from half to five-eighth more than virtually any other club, and i expect that structure and the set pieces off that to continue to grow and evolve.

Will it be enough to win a comp? No idea.
But one of the 2 best, and not the 2nd best coaches in the league is implementing it. So success is almost certain to follow

I just think you have a gun squad, he has them playing for each other for sure but CNKs lack of ball playing shouldn't be a huge issue in improving your attacking structure's and introducing some effective set plays. Our fullback never even goes to the left side in attack and that is our best attacking side. If it is proving to be a big problem you need to develop his ball playing, find fullback who can ball play or maybe find a coach who can take that squad to the next level.

 

[nick87]

I just think you have a gun squad, he has them playing for each other for sure but CNKs lack of ball playing shouldn't be a huge issue in improving your attacking structure's and introducing some effective set plays. Our fullback never even goes to the left side in attack and that is our best attacking side. If it is proving to be a big problem you need to develop his ball playing, find fullback who can ball play or maybe find a coach who can take that squad to the next level.

There is already some scuttlebutt around the Raiders and CNK with this, especially with RTS moving to Union... could be a lot of 1+1=3 stuff going on with that but I think what has happened is this:

Step 1: Stuart got CNK, and realised he'd be an excellent fullback and we'd develop his ball playing
Step 2: CNK was everything we expected and more but his ball playing was limiting our offence, but it'll improve.
Step 3: Now we're still seeing little to no improvement, and we're trying to find other attacking structures to see if we can play around it.

Step 4 is IMO going to be replacing CNK if step 3 doesnt work. And we're in the early stages of step 3 but i think there is some urgency around the club understanding 2021-22 is probably it's best chance to win a title before going back through a minor re-tooling phase. So i think they'll be aggressive about that if they think it's the difference

As for replacing Stuart, it's not happening. I can write pages and pages of why the club will not realistically ever do that, and to be perfectly honest, there is no justification in moving on from him at this point anyways, but that's just not going to be on the cards.
Stuart will be the Raiders coach until he retires or takes up the role of GM for the Raiders, and hand picks the next HC.

 

[mongoose]

CNK's biggest weakness is his speed. I reckon Payne Haas could out sprint him.
I am starting to feel he is just warming the fullback position until someone better comes along... (I know I have him as my pic but that's cause I think he's a top bloke)

 

[bileduct]

CNK's biggest weakness is his speed. I reckon Payne Haas could out sprint him.
I am starting to feel he is just warming the fullback position until someone better comes along... (I know I have him as my pic but that's cause I think he's a top bloke)

We really do have some slow f**kers on the team.

And I'm not just talking about their pace either.

 

[Vee]

We really do have some slow f**kers on the team.

And I'm not just talking about their pace either.

I'll see that and raise you the Cowboys.

 

[betcats]

There is already some scuttlebutt around the Raiders and CNK with this, especially with RTS moving to Union... could be a lot of 1+1=3 stuff going on with that but I think what has happened is this:

Step 1: Stuart got CNK, and realised he'd be an excellent fullback and we'd develop his ball playing
Step 2: CNK was everything we expected and more but his ball playing was limiting our offence, but it'll improve.
Step 3: Now we're still seeing little to no improvement, and we're trying to find other attacking structures to see if we can play around it.

Step 4 is IMO going to be replacing CNK if step 3 doesnt work. And we're in the early stages of step 3 but i think there is some urgency around the club understanding 2021-22 is probably it's best chance to win a title before going back through a minor re-tooling phase. So i think they'll be aggressive about that if they think it's the difference

As for replacing Stuart, it's not happening. I can write pages and pages of why the club will not realistically ever do that, and to be perfectly honest, there is no justification in moving on from him at this point anyways, but that's just not going to be on the cards.
Stuart will be the Raiders coach until he retires or takes up the role of GM for the Raiders, and hand picks the next HC.

A new coach doesnt have to be a replacement of Stuart. A good attacking assistant can do the job if Stuart lets them.

 

[Mark B]

Ricky has a great eye for pommie talent. Apart from the year Hodgson did his knee, they still went ok without him, all his pommies have performed great. Williams and especially Whitehead are very astute recruits. It will take a special player to knock the three contracts Sgt Shultz impersonator, Cameron Smith off his mantle as the As the best hooker in the past 15 years or so, but Hodgson comes a very close second. Great footy player and one of quite a few that Ricky bought to the club. Geez prior to Hodgson coming to the NRL he was more known for putting his head through a motel door to win a 20 pound bet.

 

[GAZF]

Ricky has a great eye for pommie talent. Apart from the year Hodgson did his knee, they still went ok without him, all his pommies have performed great. Williams and especially Whitehead are very astute recruits. It will take a special player to knock the three contracts Sgt Shultz impersonator, Cameron Smith off his mantle as the As the best hooker in the past 15 years or so, but Hodgson comes a very close second. Great footy player and one of quite a few that Ricky bought to the club. Geez prior to Hodgson coming to the NRL he was more known for putting his head through a motel door to win a 20 pound bet.

Peter Mulholland has a great eye for talent. Sticky (and the club) just lets an experienced scout go about his business.