Latest news with #JedStuart
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jed's NRL debut too emotional for Stuart family
Ricky Stuart was so emotional in the days leading up to his son Jed's NRL debut that he could barely speak to the Canberra winger. And so nervous was he about how his middle child would go against the Wests Tigers, the veteran Raiders mentor lost sleep thinking about Friday night's game. All the while, Jed was sleeping like a baby, having felt ready for his shot at the top grade for some time. THE DEBUTANT 🔥Raider #404 Jed Stuart scores on debut!#WeAreRaiders — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) June 20, 2025 "He didn't talk to me much during the week," the 23-year-old revealed. "Every time he brought it up he'd get emotional. I'm just glad we got the win for him, he would have been so disappointed if we didn't. "The week was good. I found out last Tuesday because the boys had the bye and I had to know if I was playing Cup or not. "I had a week to process everything, tell the close family and get the messages from them and what-not. "I was more nervous about being nervous. Then, getting here I was just excited to get out there and play with the boys." Stuart Snr. need not have worried. Only on rare occasions in the lead-up did emotions take over for Jed. He had a sleepless night before Monday's jersey preparation, and there were tears before leaving home later in the week. But he was calm once getting to the ground, with 70 friends and family known to be attending the match and another bus coming up from Canberra. See the special moment Jed Stuart was presented with his first NRL jersey by his family in the lead up to his debut on Friday night. #WeAreRaiders — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) June 16, 2025 "The only time I got emotional was when I went home just before coming to Campbelltown and mum gave me a hug to say goodbye," Jed said. "She said I'd been telling her that I wanted to play NRL since I was three years old, and 'now you're doing it'. "That got the tears going a bit." Jed's jersey was presented by his mother Kaylie rather than Ricky, while it was Raiders captain Joe Tapine who called the Raiders flyer to tell him he was debuting. On the field, Jed showed why Raiders players have been telling Ricky for months that the winger was ready. He caught an attacking bomb with his first touch, saved a 40-20 with a bat-back and scored a first-half try with a corner put down in the 16-12 win. It was at that point when the try was scored that Stuart Snr. admitted to the emotions of a dad briefly overtaking those of an NRL coach. "But then we had a game to win too, and I had to be the coach," Ricky said. "This week has been the hardest week I've had as a coach "From a father's point of view, I don't want him to be man of the match. I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. "I've been waking up 3am with some real bad thoughts, but he didn't do those tonight which was good." Both will now have it easier ahead of next Friday against Newcastle. "I was just happy to get one, I couldn't even dream of doing that," Jed said of his try. "I was just keen as, happy as, emotions running wild."
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raiders players in staggering move for Ricky Stuart and son after 'hardest week'
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has admitted handing son Jed Stuart his debut prompted one of the 'hardest weeks' of his professional career having needed to lean on Canberra's senior group for support. Stuart was a proud coach, but an even prouder father on Friday night after handing Jed Stuart his debut for the Raiders on the left wing. And Stuart rewarded the faith in his father with a try to help Canberra defeat the Wests Tigers 16-14 to help keep them second on the ladder behind the Bulldogs. And while Stuart and the playing group embraced Jed after the game, the coach admitted the build-up to the Friday night game would rank as one of the toughest of his professional NRL career. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Stuart said the concerns he had around his son resulted in the hardest week in his 23-year coaching career. 'This week has been the hardest week I've had since I've coached,' Stuart admitted. "Because from a father's point of view, I don't want him to come out and be man of the match, I just want him to hold his own. And he did that. The amount of times I've been waking up at 3am with real bad thoughts ... He didn't have any of those tonight, which was good." But incredibly, it was the senior playing group's move that helped Stuart make the decision to play his son on debut. Stuart didn't want to give his son any handouts in the side. Savelio Tamale was performing brilliantly as the left-winger in 2025, before a season-ending injury to his knee left the position vacant. Stuart admitted he didn't just make the decision to select his son by himself, but rather approached the playing group. And captain Joseph Tapine and the senior players gave Stuart the support he needed to make the call. 'The senior players are a massive support to me,' Stuart said. 'When I talked to the Club 82 boys led by Joe (Tapine), they wanted nothing else but to put Jed in there and that gave me confidence to select him. 'There's no way I would have thrown Jed in there if I didn't have the support of my players. Personally, I knew he was ready. But I still needed to make sure that I had confidence from the boys.' Stuart was embraced by all his teammates having scored the try to extend the Raiders' lead in the first-half. And after the game the winger admitted he was emotional having spoken to his mother just before kick-off. "Before I left to come to Sydney, mum gave me a cuddle and said 'you've wanted to play NRL since you were three, and now you're finally doing it,'" Jed Stuart said to ABC Radio. "That made me cry a fair bit, that." Speaking about the win, which lifted them to second-place behind the Bulldogs, Stuart was full of praise for captain Tapine who opened the scoring in the first-half. "That's why I've been saying for the past two years I think he is the best front-rower in the game," Stuart said. "There is a lot of athleticism in those efforts." While the Raiders are flying, Benji Marshall was left frustrated with his team dropping their fourth-straight loss.
News.com.au
21-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Jed Stuart, son of NRL legend Ricky, scores on dream NRL debut
Ricky Stuart gave a stunning insight into what it all meant after his son Jed had a dream debut in the Canberra Raiders' 16-12 victory over the Wests Tigers on Friday night. Jed Stuart, 23, has been under an enormous shadow as he made his way in his young career. 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. Not only is he the offspring of a Kangaroos, NSW Blues and Raiders legend, his dad Ricky is also the Canberra coach. Named an emergency four times this season, Jed was finally handed his first NRL game by his emotional coach this week after strong form in the NSW Cup. Watch Ricky Stuart discuss his son's debut below Quick to ward off any talk of nepotism, Ricky said earlier this week: 'He's worked really hard to get there, he's actually had to work doubly hard — I've made it very hard on him. 'He's earned his spot, let's put it that way.' The 404th player to make his debut for the Canberra club, Jed couldn't have asked for a better start. After Joseph Tapine opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Jed got his moment just five minutes later. Kaeo Weekes' sensational run gave the Raiders field position before the ball worked its way to centre Sebastian Kris on the next tackle. Just as Kris was tackled, he managed to get a flick pass to Stuart and the red-headed winger did the rest to touch down in front of friends and family. 'Kris very late pass, Stuart! Stuart is over in the corner!' Dan Ginnane said on Fox League. 'Jed Stuart scores on debut and the Stuart clan goes bonkers. Oh boy they waited four years for him to get a crack at first grade. 'They only had to wait 18 minutes to see him score.' Michael Ennis added: 'What a moment that is. Question marks about the flick pass, but the put down from Stuart was brilliant. 'That's Canberra at their best. It started with Weekes and finished with Stuart, what a moment.' The Raiders led 16-0 at halftime and withstood a second-half comeback from the Tigers, who had skipper Jarome Luai backing up from Origin just 48 hours earlier. But much of the talk after the game was about the debut winger. 'You couldn't have scripted this any better,' Yvonne Sampson said on Fox League. Kevin Walter added: 'It was brilliant. It's an all-time memory now in the NRL. 'There's father and son, what a way to start his NRL career, scoring a try.' Englishman James Graham, who said his father's proudest moment from his son's long career was watching James' debut, was stunned by what he saw. 'To give your son a debut shirt, you coach the side, that must be – it'll never get better for a father son relationship,' he said. 'That is so cool to witness.' In his post-match press conference, Ricky Stuart said it had been the hardest week of his coaching career. 'I appreciate how all the players supported him and there was a lot of pressure on him tonight,' he said. 'This week's been the hardest week I've had since I've coached. 'From a father's point of view, I didn't want him to be man of the match, I just wanted him to hold his own. 'That's all I wanted and he did that. The amount of times I've woken up at 3 o'clock in the morning with some real bad thoughts. I didn't get any of those tonight so it was good. 'I'll enjoy a beer with him tonight.' Remarkably, X account Random Stats Guy claimed Ricky and Jed both made their debut in round 16, 37 years apart, and both scored a try. Pundits and fans alike were loving the moment on Friday night. Roosters halfback Chad Townsend tweeted: 'Great moment for Jed Stuart! Love to see it.' NRL journalist Brad Walter wrote: 'What a night for Jed Stuart. His dad is one of the great players, coaches and people in our game and Jed has had a debut to remember.' One fan watching on joked: 'BREAKING: Ricky Stuart's key halftime message – any of you who don't pass the ball to Jed WON'T be getting any Maccas on the way home!'
The Advertiser
20-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Young Stuart scores as Raiders defence beats Tigers
Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss. Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss. Jed Stuart has provided one of the fairytale moments of Canberra's high-flying NRL season, before the Raiders held on to beat Wests Tigers 16-12 at Campbelltown. After they led 16-0 at halftime and looked in complete control, the Raiders were forced to sweat through a nervy final 25 minutes on Friday night. But with the Tigers back within four points and with all the good ball in the second half, the Raiders were able to repel set after set to claim victory. The win ensures Canberra will finish the round in second spot, with five straight victories and nine from their past 10 games. Stuart was the story of the night with a try on debut, the four-pointer coming as his proud father Ricky stood on the sideline looking as stoic as ever. After a week of build-up around the 23-year-old's debut, he finished the Raiders' second try when Seb Kris put him over in the left corner. But while Stuart provided the headline moment, it was Joe Tapine and Canberra's goal-line defence that were the real heroes. The Tigers spent large parts of the match camped on the Raiders' line, but were only able to break through twice in a five-minute period in the second half. Tapine was crucial in much of that. He somehow held up Jarome Luai as the Tigers five-eighth looked certain to get the ball down in the first half, pulling his arm back up as it went towards the turf. Then moments later it was Tapine who gave the Raiders their first try, running on to a Josh Papalii try and through a gaping hole to score. The Raiders' front-rower had another crucial moment in the second half, pulling off a one-on-one strip to end another Tigers attacking raid in the final 10 minutes. As resolute as the Raiders were, the Tigers were at times their own worst enemies. A Tom Starling try came after Kris brushed through a poor Heath Mason miss, before Jeral Skelton and Jahreem Bula fumbled a grubber and Starling dived on the ball. The Tigers were better in the second half, with Luai coming to life after being well contained before the break. Backing up just two days after Origin II and following cross-country travel, he sparked the Tigers to life when he grubbered for a chasing Alex Seyfarth to score. Luai had it at 16-12 moments later when he first put Adam Doueihi into space, before backing up on the next play and combining with Latu Fainu to send Starford To'a. The Tigers had a chance to go ahead when Samuela Fainu crossed with 13 minutes to play, only for a Terrell May pass to be called forward. But Tapine's strip and another overturned late penalty for a Skelton hair-pull meant the joint-venture were consigned to their fifth straight loss.
News.com.au
20-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NRL live: Wests Tigers vs. Raiders, results, SuperCoach NRL scores
It's full steam ahead for the Raiders, who return from a week off to maintain their spot near the top of the ladder. Ricky Stuart's son Jed will make his debut for the club on the wing. Jarome Luai will return from Origin for the Wests Tigers, who are desperate to keep in touch with the top 8. Following an underwhelming first half of Origin II in Perth for the Blues, there's no doubt coach Laurie Daley will be looking at prop Terrell May as an option to add some gumption to his starting forward pack. Follow our LIVE SuperCoach blog from kick-off. TIGERS v RAIDERS Friday, 8pm, Campbelltown Stadium Wests Tigers 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To'a 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Heath Mason 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Alex Twal Interchange: 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Sione Fainu 16. Latu Fainu 17. Jack Bird Reserves: 18. Tony Sukkar Murray Late mail: Jarome Luai escaped with a fine for his alleged eye gouge and will back-up. Fonua Pole (knee) and Alex Twal (concussion) are both back in action. Raiders 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Jed Stuart 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Corey Horsburgh Interchange: 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Ata Mariota L ate mail: Blues back-rower Hudson Young has been named to back up. Jed Stuart, son of coach Ricky Stuart, will make his NRL debut in place of Savelio Tamale (knee), who could miss three months.
