Ricky Stuart walked into his post-match press conference in Canberra on Thursday, said he would back retired South Sydney forward Jai Arrow after his motor neurone disease revelation, and was gone in 108 seconds. He did not take a single question from reporters who had waited for well over an hour after the Raiders’ 30-22 loss to the Dolphins.
The Canberra coach started by thanking fans for turning out in the cold for a tough Thursday night slot, then praised his “very brave and courageous” team even as the result handed the Raiders their seventh loss of the season. He said the Dolphins were the better side on the night, but his comments quickly turned to the way the match was handled in the middle.
Referee Todd Smith did not blow a penalty until the 35th minute, and the first half ended with just one penalty and six restarts. The second period was looser, with six penalties and three restarts, a pattern that left Stuart saying the game’s interpretations and rules were being picked and chosen.
“In all the all the years I’ve been involved in the game as a coach, I’ve never been so confused,” he said. Stuart added that it was “disappointing to say the least” and said a rule could not be applied one week and ignored the next before closing with a blunt line: “I’ve never been so confused, and it’s disappointing, because I love the game. Thank you.”
The remarks read as a veiled swipe at the officiating in a match that never found a steady rhythm. Stuart did not expand on his criticism, but the short, stinging press conference was enough to leave little doubt about where he thought the problem lay.
For the Raiders, the defeat deepened a season that has already drifted into damage control. For Stuart, it was another night in which the football and the frustration arrived together, and the latter lasted only long enough to make its point.
