Raiders coach Ricky Stuart found it tough debuting son Jed, but they celebrated a win together.
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.