A question. Almost two minutes.
That’s all coach Ricky Stuart could tolerate before abruptly dropping out of a press conference after Canberra was overwhelmed by 30:10 in Melbourne’s NRL pre-finals on Friday night.
The signs were ominous that the passionate mentor was preparing for an old post-game performance from Stuart after the Raiders’ drive to end their 26-year title drought was put down by a dominant Melbourne Storm at Lang Park.
Eyebrows were raised when Stuart made himself available to the media almost an hour after the loss that sparked Canberra’s five-game win and ended their brave search for a straight-through final.
However, there was no indication that the sometimes volatile Stuart had been cooking when he finally showed up after the game.
He looked serene as he answered the opening question and showered Melbourne with praise for the win struck by a 24-0 lightning bolt in the first half.
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His sudden exit was all the more surprising when reporters tried to inquire.
There was a lot to talk about after Canberra’s season ended.
Could Stuart extend the Raiders’ brave efforts to overcome a serious injury rate and a nightmare travel program to become the first fifth-placed team to advance to a preliminary final in the new finals format?
The Raiders had had a great final qualifier after traveling nearly 50 hours since the competition resumed in May – almost twice as long as the next NRL team – as hotel stays were banned under COVID protocols.
And what were his resigning words for English importer John Bateman, who is signed to Super League club Wigan after two influential seasons in Canberra in 2021?
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Raiders fans will have to wait after all that Stuart has learned after the game is that he was “very proud” of his team and that they didn’t start their preliminary final well.
“We were passive on defense (for the first 25 minutes) … we weren’t,” said Stuart.
“I can handle the loss … but I’m really disappointed that we haven’t had our better games.”
Stuart even popped his hat to Melbourne when he expanded the opening question.
“Because of our character and the resilience of the team we hung around trying to turn it around but Melbourne just didn’t let us and it was a tough night,” he said.
“I’m very proud of where we came, but I’m disappointed that I didn’t go any further.
“You can’t take it for granted to get that position in one season because you’re struggling so hard to get here and putting so much work into getting to this stage of the season. So we can get into the first 25 like this let down.” Minutes is the disappointing part. “
He added, “I sincerely wish (storm coach) Craig (Bellamy), (captain) Cameron (Smith) and the team all the best for the next week.”
And with that he was gone.
When a reporter tried to ask for a follow-up, Stuart simply said, “Cheers” as he stormed.
AAP
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