Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart benched rookie Savelio Tamale for errors, prioritizing his well-being after a tough first half.
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has explained the brutal decision to bench rookie winger Savelio Tamale after just 30 minutes on the field.
Playing against his former club, Tamale endured a difficult opening half as the Dragons relentlessly targeted him with attacking kicks and were able to force several errors from him, placing the rookie under immense pressure.
After making three simple errors, Stuart decided to make a tactical change by hooking the former Under-19s NSW Blues representative, Stuart, from the field and replacing him with veteran Sebastian Kris.
Speaking post-match, Stuart revealed that the decision to take him off the field was driven by his duty of care towards the youngster, as he believed he had a responsibility to do him a favour.
"He's struggling and as a coach, it's my responsibility to have care and that's the one thing I've got about the players is care. It was very, very hard for me to take him off," Stuart said post-match.