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Last year was for real: Stuart
Author: Daniel Briggs
Monday, 29 September 2003
For a year they talked it down. For a year they said it wasn’t a real premiership. For a year they said we would never know who the true premiers were because the Bulldogs weren’t there. For a year…they were wrong.
Ricky Stuart knew it. The players all knew it. Saturday night proved it. Stuart now believes any questions critics had over the legitimacy of the Roosters’ 2002 premiership can now be well and truly buried.
“The game tonight answered a lot of questions,” Stuart told Channel Nine’s Phil Gould in a frank interview after Saturday night’s victory.
“If anyone’s saying that you didn’t worry about it, or you put it behind you, they’re probably lying to themselves.
“All those questions that were pushed through the media – that you stole the premiership last year, (that) it was a ‘Clayton’s’ premiership – I think those were answered tonight.
“Credit to the players, they’re the ones out here doing the job.”
Stuart admitted to being the most nervous he has been during his short coaching career in the build up to the Bulldogs clash.
“I think a lot of (the nervousness) comes back to the fact there’s been a lot of emotion about this game. They’re a former club of mine, I still know a lot of the people there (so) I was probably uneasy this week,” he said.
Stuart became the first Roosters coach in the club’s 95-year history to coach six successive finals wins, but was quick to play down any of his personal achievements.
“I don’t coach for me, I don’t coach for the records,” he said.
“When I see the players happy, when I see the players winning I’m happy.
“I’m not out there worrying about Ricky Stuart’s achievements. I love seeing the boys happy and I love seeing the boys win games of football – I think that’s important.”
The master coach showed his charges a video of last year’s side singing the national anthem at the grand final for inspiration before the Bulldogs clash, saying “the hardest part about being in a grand final is not being there next year”.
“The great week you have leading to the grand final – it’s a huge moment.
“Some players go through a whole career and never be involved in a grand final, some players are in grand finals and they talk about it for the next 10, 15, 20 years.
“Getting into a grand final is one thing, winning it is another. We won’t be happy just getting there, we want to go down the same track as last year.”
A track that would definitely silence the critics for a year…
