Passion for the Raiders a Stuart family affair
Jasper Bruce |
Jed Stuart has had father Ricky’s passion for Canberra ever since he was a kid.
Back in the day, the younger Stuart would dread going to school after a Raiders loss in case his emotions took over and made him want to fight the classmates taunting his father’s team.
But that passion doesn’t mean Ricky’s son would take it personally if the coach chose to replace him with Savelio Tamale on the run to NRL finals.
The rise of Stuart Jr. has been one of many success stories in the nation’s capital this season.
The former Australian rugby sevens representative has managed seven games, and four tries, on the left wing for the ladder-leading Raiders amid Tamale’s knee injury, with Canberra winning six of those.
“You’ve been dreaming about playing NRL your whole life, then finally doing it and actually getting a good stint of games, it’s unreal,” Stuart told AAP.
On the surface, Stuart and his father appear cut from different cloths, with the older a freakish halfback in his day and the younger a rangy winger some 20cm taller.
But in his heart, Jed Stuart carries the love for the Raiders that has become synonymous with his father.
“His passion for the club rubs off on me, especially at home,” the 24-year-old said.
“Our whole family loves it here. I’m not to the extent where I’ll get emotional talking about little things like he does, but I care a lot.”
That’s always been the case since late 2013, when the Stuart family moved back to Canberra so Ricky could take his dream job: coaching the club where he won three premierships.
“I used to dread going to school after a loss, because I’d be so passionate and they’d be giving it to me. I’d want to get in a fight but I’d hold myself back,” Jed Stuart said with a smile.
But these days, the younger Stuart knows how to keep his emotions in check, and will remain level-headed as his father weighs up a big selection call on the wing in coming weeks.
Tamale had been in the rookie of the year conversation before being struck down by a knee injury in round 14 and is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
Stuart knows it could be the first time he’s had a tough selection chat with his father.
“It’ll probably be hard on him but I’ll take none of it personally,” he said.
“Whoever the coaching staff pick to go there will do a job, which I think is what me and ‘Savie’ have both proved.
“We’re there to do a job and we’ve both done a pretty good one. If he goes in over me and whatnot, I’m happy with what the coaching staff have picked. I just want the team to win.”
AAP
