We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
With about 1000 NRL games walking out the door, Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is focusing on the next gen.
He'll back his youth and has laid down the challenge for them to claim their spots in what's set to be a gruelling pre-season - both mentally and physically.
The rewards will not only be spots in the heart of the Raiders' forward pack, but in the spine as well.
Ricky Stuart is out of the running to replace Brad Fittler as NSW Blues coach after his club side, the Canberra Raiders, insisted he should focus on returning them to the finals next year.
Stuart had widely been considered the man most likely to fill the role, which would have meant juggling his NRL head coaching responsibilities with leading the Blues against Billy Slater's Queensland in next year's Origin series.
But Canberra chief executive Don Furner told the NSW Rugby League on Wednesday that Stuart would instead concentrate on his day job with the Raiders, who he guided to a narrow 30-28 loss to Newcastle in the first week of this...
Ricky Stuart is as passionate about the NSW Blues and State of Origin as anyone.
But the Canberra Raiders coach will channel that passion solely into guiding his young Green Machine squad.
It's why he won't throw his hat into the ring to be the next Blues coach following Brad Fittler's decision to step down from the role last week.