‘Shot of whiskey': How Ricky Stuart will cope with son's Canberra debut
So you can only imagine how he feels after giving his actual son, Jed, the chance to become Raider #404 against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Friday.
'That's probably a good description because I like to get close to all of my players,' Stuart said 'This one is for real.'
It's a debut Stuart said Jed has had to work 'doubly hard' for. Concerned about perceptions of nepotism, the younger Stuart had to play 57 NSW Cup games before getting the call-up for first grade. Even then, it only happened after the senior Canberra players assured the coach that the young winger was up to the challenge.
'There was no way it was going to be an easy ride for him, it was always going to be a disadvantage for him [being my son], to be honest,' Stuart said.
'It's good for him. I feel like I've got a good understanding of when a player is ready to play NRL and this is a good opportunity for Jed to start developing an NRL career and see where he gets to.'
Stuart has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Watching him prowling along the sidelines, riding every play like his life depended on it, can be as entertaining as the action unfolding on the field.
When veteran prop Josh Papalii recently broke the Raiders record for first-grade appearances, Stuart had to hold back the tears. So how will he fare when Jed runs out?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Adrian Barich: Why THAT kick from Dom Sheed will go down as one of sport's most exciting moments
If given the chance, would you like to hold the destiny of a team, club, state or even a nation in your own hands? It's a good question, isn't it? If you could be the difference between sporting success and failure, would you accept the challenge? Please pause while reading this and ask whomever you're with (maybe even call someone) and ask, if offered the chance, would you want to be Dom Sheed on that afternoon in September in 2018 at the MCG? Would you want to be on the runway jumping for Olympic gold in Beijing? Injured and against the odds, would you want to have one more jump like Steve Hooker needing to over 5.96m on his final attempt. No second chances. Just ice in the veins, and possible gold around the neck. Or Cathy Freeman in 2000. With the entire nation on her back, after a build-up that included lighting the Olympic cauldron. She won gold with 112,000 people in the stands and billions watching on TV. Some athletes can withstand the pressure and deliver in key moments. It's almost 20 years since John Aloisi converted that penalty that sent 80,000 fans at ANZ Stadium into raptures as the Socceroos qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974. If you had the choice, would you have wanted to be in Aloisi's boots that night? To do one thing that you will always be remembered for, for the rest of your life. Fail though and you'll be left with all the ugly questions. Do you want to be Adam Gilchrist, smashing 149 off 104 in a World Cup Final, with a squash ball hidden in his glove. On the biggest stage, Gilly didn't flinch — he flourished. In the NRL, it was Johnathan Thurston, who iced the 2015 Grand Final with a golden point field goal, the smile hiding his killer instinct. Or on the biggest stage of all, the Augusta National, no one delivered under pressure quite like Tiger Woods. That chip-in on the 16th in 2005. Tiger made the impossible look easy. That was mental toughness and absolute belief under the most intense spotlight in sport. But would you want to be in the cauldron at that moment? Be the one that must deliver? I won't list them but plenty of sports people are remembered for choking at the worst possible time. Who wants to do something that every kid dreams of. To have destiny in your own hands. Choose me, gods of the game. Let destiny land at my feet. Call my name, footy god — let this be my moment. To be the master of the clutch play. This will seem over the top but when they asked me to write a match report after Dom Sheed kicked that goal in the 2018 grand final, I wrote: 'The red Sherrin in Dom Sheed's hands wasn't just a football, it was the beating heart of Western Australia. As he lined up for that improbable kick, it was as though he held the hopes, the pride and the very soul of a State that had waited decades for this chance, almost pulsating in the leathery grip of that ball.' Four million watched that day, probably two million were supporting West Coast and the other half Collingwood — the Pies are that polarising. And in the households in Perth the noise that exploded in the lounge rooms when Sheed slotted the goal, not with some wacky kick around the corner but the standard drop punt, was pure, unfiltered chaos. It starts as a sharp intake of breath, then the room erupts. Cushions fly. Drinks spill. Voices crack in disbelief as everyone leaps to their feet. It was a primal sound, not polished or pretty, but full of heart. The kind of noise that only comes when everything's on the line and somehow, your team delivers. Walls shake. The dog bolts. It's not just celebration: it's a release, it's relief and raw joy, all packed into a single, unforgettable moment. To deliver in the biggest moment of his life was unforgettable for Dom. My friends at King Eddies have told me that from October 2018 through most of 2019, Dom or Dominic was the most popular name for newborn boys. While even some of the newborn girls were even getting Dominique or just Dom. The Americans have a lot of these ultimate childhood fantasy moments. World Series, bottom of the ninth, one on and two outs, down by one and Kirk Gibson, with two injured knees hits a home run. In basketball, few moments are as iconic as Michael Jordan's game-winning shot in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. With the score tied at 100 and seconds on the clock Jordan swished the net as the buzzer sounded, sealing victory for the Bulls. This moment exemplified Jordan's legendary 'clutch' gene. MJ a good example of a unique breed of athlete who doesn't just handle pressure — they feed off it. These are the players who somehow find another level when it matters most. They don't just perform, they decide outcomes. Call it 'ice in the veins'. Call it 'big moment magic'. Moments of bravery like Nina Kennedy's clutch clearance at 4.90m in Budapest, under intense global pressure, cementing her as one of the best in the world. Calm, fierce and fearless when it mattered most. The truth is that sport doesn't remember the ordinary. It remembers those moments. These athletes remind us why we watch sport, for performance under pressure. For those rare times when greatness meets the moment and says: Give me the ball. I've got this!
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Celebrating Dom Sheed and some of sport's best moments
If given the chance, would you like to hold the destiny of a team, club, state or even a nation in your own hands? It's a good question, isn't it? If you could be the difference between sporting success and failure, would you accept the challenge? Please pause while reading this and ask whomever you're with (maybe even call someone) and ask, if offered the chance, would you want to be Dom Sheed on that afternoon in September in 2018 at the MCG? Would you want to be on the runway jumping for Olympic gold in Beijing? Injured and against the odds, would you want to have one more jump like Steve Hooker needing to over 5.96m on his final attempt. No second chances. Just ice in the veins, and possible gold around the neck. Or Cathy Freeman in 2000. With the entire nation on her back, after a build-up that included lighting the Olympic cauldron. She won gold with 112,000 people in the stands and billions watching on TV. Some athletes can withstand the pressure and deliver in key moments. It's almost 20 years since John Aloisi converted that penalty that sent 80,000 fans at ANZ Stadium into raptures as the Socceroos qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974. If you had the choice, would you have wanted to be in Aloisi's boots that night? To do one thing that you will always be remembered for, for the rest of your life. Fail though and you'll be left with all the ugly questions. Do you want to be Adam Gilchrist, smashing 149 off 104 in a World Cup Final, with a squash ball hidden in his glove. On the biggest stage, Gilly didn't flinch — he flourished. In the NRL, it was Johnathan Thurston, who iced the 2015 Grand Final with a golden point field goal, the smile hiding his killer instinct. Or on the biggest stage of all, the Augusta National, no one delivered under pressure quite like Tiger Woods. That chip-in on the 16th in 2005. Tiger made the impossible look easy. That was mental toughness and absolute belief under the most intense spotlight in sport. But would you want to be in the cauldron at that moment? Be the one that must deliver? I won't list them but plenty of sports people are remembered for choking at the worst possible time. Who wants to do something that every kid dreams of. To have destiny in your own hands. Choose me, gods of the game. Let destiny land at my feet. Call my name, footy god — let this be my moment. To be the master of the clutch play. This will seem over the top but when they asked me to write a match report after Dom Sheed kicked that goal in the 2018 grand final, I wrote: 'The red Sherrin in Dom Sheed's hands wasn't just a football, it was the beating heart of Western Australia. As he lined up for that improbable kick, it was as though he held the hopes, the pride and the very soul of a State that had waited decades for this chance, almost pulsating in the leathery grip of that ball.' Four million watched that day, probably two million were supporting West Coast and the other half Collingwood — the Pies are that polarising. And in the households in Perth the noise that exploded in the lounge rooms when Sheed slotted the goal, not with some wacky kick around the corner but the standard drop punt, was pure, unfiltered chaos. It starts as a sharp intake of breath, then the room erupts. Cushions fly. Drinks spill. Voices crack in disbelief as everyone leaps to their feet. It was a primal sound, not polished or pretty, but full of heart. The kind of noise that only comes when everything's on the line and somehow, your team delivers. Walls shake. The dog bolts. It's not just celebration: it's a release, it's relief and raw joy, all packed into a single, unforgettable moment. To deliver in the biggest moment of his life was unforgettable for Dom. My friends at King Eddies have told me that from October 2018 through most of 2019, Dom or Dominic was the most popular name for newborn boys. While even some of the newborn girls were even getting Dominique or just Dom. The Americans have a lot of these ultimate childhood fantasy moments. World Series, bottom of the ninth, one on and two outs, down by one and Kirk Gibson, with two injured knees hits a home run. In basketball, few moments are as iconic as Michael Jordan's game-winning shot in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. With the score tied at 100 and seconds on the clock Jordan swished the net as the buzzer sounded, sealing victory for the Bulls. This moment exemplified Jordan's legendary 'clutch' gene. MJ a good example of a unique breed of athlete who doesn't just handle pressure — they feed off it. These are the players who somehow find another level when it matters most. They don't just perform, they decide outcomes. Call it 'ice in the veins'. Call it 'big moment magic'. Moments of bravery like Nina Kennedy's clutch clearance at 4.90m in Budapest, under intense global pressure, cementing her as one of the best in the world. Calm, fierce and fearless when it mattered most. The truth is that sport doesn't remember the ordinary. It remembers those moments. These athletes remind us why we watch sport, for performance under pressure. For those rare times when greatness meets the moment and says: Give me the ball. I've got this!
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Flanno fumes at shocking forward pass call in Dragons' loss to Canberra
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan was left fuming at a controversial forward pass call that denied Tyrell Sloan a hat-trick and ultimately proved the difference in his side's 28-24 loss to the Raiders. Sloan scored a classy double, but he was denied the first try of the game for a forward pass from Moses Suli that, at worst, looked flat and, at best, was well backwards. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > Flanagan believes his side should have won the game and would have won if Sloan's first try had stood. 'I'm not going to talk about the list of injuries or the players who we have got out, I'm talking about the players that were out there,' Flanagan said. 'Whoever puts that jersey on just goes out and does the job and they did that tonight and I thought we should have won. 'Lucky the rules are changing in relation to press conferences because I'd be paying a fine.' A journalist pressed Flanagan on whether he was referring to the forward pass call that denied Sloan's try. 'You know exactly what it's about, everyone knows it's there, what was there and it's tough,' Flanagan said. 'When you're a side flying high like the Raiders, you probably see that they get the bounce of the ball and they deserve it because they're at the top of the table. 'And when you're where we're at in the middle of the table sometimes you feel that you just don't get the rub of the green, so it's a tough one and in the end that's the difference.' Sloan has been given permission to talk with rival clubs, but Flanagan admitted he showed how good he can be against the Raiders. 'That's what we know he can do, speed and finishing,' Flanagan said. 'There was another little moment there where I would have liked him to tidy up, which resulted in a try to the opposition, but he showed some real class to score two tries.' In an awkward moment, Flanagan was pressed on the Raiders fans booing his son Kyle Flanagan during his goal kicking, which caught the Dragons coach off-guard. 'Never heard it. What would the crowd be booing Kyle for?' Flanagan asked. 'Just kicking the conversion early in the game, they were quite passionate,' the journalist replied. 'I think they do that, so good on them, it's going to happen everywhere,' Flanagan said. Despite the loss Flanagan believes his side can be proud of their effort against the competition leaders. 'We're a proud club, we have a strong group, Canberra are a good side and we fought back and we should have won without a doubt,' Flanagan said. 'I thought everyone stepped up. I thought everyone had some moments, we had some not so good ones and we had some really good ones and we put ourselves in the game.' The loss means the Dragons sit 11th and are two points outside the top eight, but Flanagan challenged his side to show consistency with their effort and commitment. 'If we had that attitude and that commitment week in and week out, we're going to win a lot more games on the way home,' Flanagan said. 'So they're number one and we just need to roll that commitment over. 'We had a good win last week, we came down here and play the competition leaders and as I said could have, should have, would have won. 'We didn't because of a few things and I respect Ricky and the Raiders, they hung in there and that's what good sides do. But we just got to stick at it for the rest of the year.'
