Raiders coach Ricky Stuart throws extraordinary spray at his many opponents, calling them ‘muppets’ as they question his decision to bench landmark man Jarrod Croker
- Ricky Stuart had a blunt message for his critics
- Raiders coach labeled his opponents ‘muppets’
- Followed decision to rest veteran Jarrod Croker
- Center is now playing his 300th game in Canberra
Fired Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has let loose on his critics who have questioned the bold decision to rest Jarrod Croker against the Tigers on Friday night.
The Green Machine won a thriller 20-19 to remain anchored in the NRL top eight, but the notoriously hard to please Stuart was still angry at the post-match press conference.
Croker held off the gripping victory at Campbelltown and will record 300 career appearances next weekend in lime green after making his first-class debut in 2009.
Stuart wanted the Veterans Center to play the landmark game on home soil at GIO Stadium in front of family and friends – and made no apologies for doing so.
“What I did was the right thing for all our Canberra fans,” said Stuart.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has unleashed his critics who dared to question the decision to rest Jarrod Croker against the Tigers on Friday night
Croker, 32, will record 300 career games for Canberra against the Warriors this weekend
“They would have bought their tickets, the poor bastards would have had to come here [Sydney] after work to watch Jarrod play 300. But no, I did the right thing.’
Stuart then accused what he saw as ‘muppet’ detractors, who felt the resting Croker was arrogant.
“When you lead, you have to take a risk,” he said.
“I would take over from all of you (the media) if we were defeated. But I was willing to take the risk. That’s leadership, not the other Muppets pretending to know.
“These muppets that let me down, they’re all guys who will read the textbooks and talk about courageous leadership, man management and they’ll go out and talk at corporate parties, but they can’t perform.
“It’s not the people I want on my football team, it’s not the people I want in the trenches with me. There was no [Raiders] player who didn’t want Jarrod to play his 300th game at home.
“I was open and honest (about resting Croker), which was probably wrong. I might as well lie.’
Club legend Stuart – who won three premierships playing for the Raiders – branded his opponents ‘muppets’ in an age-old diatribe
Croker becomes just the second Raiders player to reach 300 games and the first to do so in the nation’s capital after a distant relative Jason Croker brought forward the three-century performance against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in 2006.
Stuart also praised the significance of Croker’s approaching personal milestone.
“This will be one of the biggest events we’ve had for a player in Canberra,” he said.
“We get nothing, the Raiders get nothing, we are fighters.
“We’re happy to be proud of it, but we’ve got a great event this week and Jarrod Croker deserves everything he gets next weekend.”
Stuart won an NRL premiership in 2002 in charge of the star-studded Roosters, but silverware had eluded him ever since.
He did lead the Raiders to the 2019 decider, but fell short against the Tricolors.