LAS VEGAS — Ricky Stuart bleeds Raiders green.
The coach of the Canberra Raiders, one of the four National Rugby League teams playing in Saturday’s bill at Allegiant Stadium, played 11 years for the club and was a part of its glory days, winning three Grand Final titles.
Now, in his 12th season coaching the club, he burns to win a title as the coach.
“I’d give one back to win one as a coach,’’ Stuart told The Post on Thursday after running his team through a 90-minute training session in advance of the Raiders matchup with the New Zealand Warriors in a game that will be televised by Fox. “Yeah, we won three Grand Finals when I was playing, but you’d give one back to bring one now. That’s obviously an ultimate goal of mine.’’
Stuart is one of the true characters among the teams here this week.
He’s stocky with a rock-solid build, even at 58.
He’s no-nonsense, with a soft side as well, partially as a result of having an autistic daughter who he calls “the boss’’ and said changed his life.
“People that know him know he’s just pure passion,’’ Raiders star Joseph Tapine told The Post. “He cares about the club, cares about our game. He’s emotional because he cares so much, and that’s why people probably appreciate him a lot more, especially me as a player playing under him.’’
As a player, Stuart was known by NRL followers as one of the all-time trash talkers.
“He looked like he was a cheeky fella when he was playing,’’ Tapine said with a grin. “I always said if I played against him, I’d want to try to take his head off. He trash-talks now and he’s not even playing. He’s a bit of a piss.’’
A true measure of Stuart’s passion is the fact that, unlike almost every one of the rugby league coaches who coach from a coaches’ booth (like NFL offensive coordinators almost always do), Stuart coaches from the sideline.
Because he wants to be in the middle of it. Plus, it’s difficult to talk trash to the opposing team from a coaches’ booth.
Three years ago, the intense Stuart experienced a moment somewhat like what former Giants coach Tom Coughlin went through when the team’s brass let him know they needed him to lighten up his austere approach.
“I didn’t think I was intense until everybody told me I was,’’ Stuart said. “Look, I just want to win. I know they [the players] want what I want and I want what they want. And sometimes it’s the hungriest bloke that gets it. That’s in my DNA. I think it’s important for your players to see how much you care about it.’’
Stuart, though, said his intensity, “was knocking me around health-wise, like I was drained and I was not getting over losses well.
“Some of my senior players spoke to me about how it was affecting them. So, I had a discussion with the boys [that] I had to change my approach.’’
Stuart calls the tight-knit Raiders “quite a unique club’’ with a CEO who’s the son of the team’s first coach.
“We have a great tendency of wanting to remember our past, remember our history, remember the players who have been there before us,’’ Stuart said. “I want to keep the passion alive at Canberra. The club has given me so much, my feeling is it’s my job to repay the club for what they’ve done for me.’’
