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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Famously tough footy star Joe Tapine breaks down in tears as he recalls growing up with dad who was in feared Black Power gang
Canberra Raiders hardman Joseph Tapine was overcome with emotion after recalling his challenging upbringing with a father who was in one of New Zealand's most notorious gangs. Tapine, who recently celebrated his 200th game for Canberra, has shed light on his childhood growing up in New Zealand with a hard-working mother and a dad with whom he has a complicated relationship with. 'He was in Black Power, which was one of the main gangs back home,' Tapine said on Fox League's Face to Face. 'We grew up around them. My uncles, his mates were in it as well. But I remember the good things – like we would have barbecues, we would have games of touch footy down at the park, and he'd have all his mates and all their kids play. 'I didn't … yeah, there was drinking and drugs around that, which I don't remember much; I remember it's around, but it's not the main focus of my childhood when I was growing up. 'It was more, he'll get his mates and I'll play at the park until he was ready to go home. 'I think he maybe went to prison before me and my siblings were born. He drove us away from that life as well, he said he wanted better for us and not to follow him down that path.' The emotional weight of those memories overcame Tapine, who whispered 'sorry' as he broke down in tears. 'We don't keep in touch. He's a good fella, but he's got some stuff to…' Tapine said. 'I wanted to get out of 'Wellies', I wanted to get out of New Zealand. I wanted to probably have a different life. And I had a thought, if I didn't crack league … I wanted to be a builder and they pay way better over here.' The talented prop got his start for the Knights in 2014 and has established himself in Canberra as one of the most respected players in the NRL in recent years. However, the Kiwi international has revealed he struggled with addiction in his early days. 'The harshest lesson was probably that I got addicted to pokies,' Tapine told Nine's Marlee and Me podcast in March. 'I was living in a share house and one of the boys said "let's go for dinner". We go in this pokie room and like everyone's first time, just luck - I put a freaking $20 in and won big. 'Three years later I was trying to have to shake that addiction. Pokies and a bit of drinking was big in the culture and that was pretty hard for me to shake. 'Those things get you. I think athletes as well and we want that adrenaline kick and that's what it gives you. It took a while to get off it. 'I didn't learn about finance or anything back home. I had to learn all of that on the go and Kirsten [wife] taught me a lot of that. After I met Kirsten, she gave me an ultimatum. 'I think the move here helped, it was around that time when I had that drama at Newcastle. The change in environment really helped me.'
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors v South Sydney Rabbitohs - what we learned from another heartstopper
Mitch Barnett may face a stint on the sidelines with a knee injury. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport After seeing their five-game winning streak ended last week by Canberra Raiders, NZ Warriors have started another, with their 36-30 win over South Sydney across the Tasman. After threatening to run away with victory at 30-12, once again, they let their opponents back into the contest, which became another heartstopper. The Warriors lost one of their best early, and had to survive a comeback inspired by one of the game's absolute freaks and another headed for the record books, but at the end of the weekend, they have consolidated their top-three spot on the NRL table. Here are some key takeaways from the game. Much has been said about the contribution of co-captain Mitch Barnett this season, especially while fellow skipper James Fisher-Harris was sidelined by injury. During his tenure at Mt Smart, Barnett has become an automatic NSW selection for State of Origin and an inspiration to those around him. His team missed him badly last week against Canberra Raiders, when Kiwis international prop Joseph Tapine bullied the Warriors pack and taunted former Raiders teammate Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. For the first time in 2025, coach Andrew Webster had all his players available against the Rabbitohs, but that lasted just 20 minutes, before Barnett hobbled off with a reported knee injury. He fell badly while making a tackle, with his right knee buckling under him. Barnett tried to play on, but could not, which suggests he may be out for a while. Certainly, his body language wasn't great and scans will determine whether he can be fit for Origin II on 18 June. "There's different grades to each different injury and until you look under the hood, honestly you don't know," said Webster. "He's in good spirits. "We lost Fish for four weeks and he's one of the best front-rowers in the world, so we certainly know how to do next man up." In his absence, Fisher-Harris stepped up , logging 56 minutes and making a game-high 53 tackles, while Jackson Ford continued his outstanding form off the bench, running 15 times for 153 metres and making 37 tackles. Ford also showed his surprising skill, producing a kick that resulted in Rocco Berry's first-half try. If Barnett can't make it back for NSW, the selectors need only look across at Rabbitohs counterpart Keaon Koloamatangi as his replacement. Shifted to the middle this season, he again led his team with 218 running metres from 27 carries and made 39 tackles, while scoring a try. With the Warriors leading 4-0, halfback Luke Metcalf produced a play that must have had him - and Warriors fans - flashing back to the season-opening defeat to Canberra at Las Vegas. Luke Metcalf celebrates his try against Souths. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport On that occasion, they were hot on attack and looking left, when Metcalf had his pass picked off by winger Xavier Savage for a try down the other end - a potential 12-point turnaround. This time, the Warriors were shifting right, when Metcalf tried to float a pass over Alex Johnston to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who was probably already thinking about his gravity-defying dive at the corner. Unfortunately, the Souths winger plucked the ball from the air and dashed the length of the field for his team's opening try, converted by Latrell Mitchell from the sideline for the lead. Another 12-pointer. Leading Dally M Medal standings into this round , Metcalf compounded his error by missing a relatively simple conversion of Berry's try before halftime. To his credit, he turned his performance around in the second half, scoring his eighth try of the season, making two linebreaks and providing a try assist. Metcalf has the lowest conversion success rate of all the fulltime kickers in the competition at 65 percent, but many of them seem to be from the sidelines. After slicing his gimme in the first half, he nailed a couple from out wide in the second, showing the temperament you want from your kicker in the clutch. "I was just talking to him and I don't think he's that pumped with parts of his game, but that try he scored was at a great time," said Webster. "He finds a way to have a moment like that in every game. "We were defending our sets for big periods there, so everyone's doing their part. Luke's fast, he sees the moment and takes it, but I felt like it was a team try. "He's the guy finishing it off, but I felt like the whole team had a big part in that one." This wasn't his best outing of the campaign, but it was likely enough for Metcalf to add to his Dally M tally, with voting now behind closed doors until the end of the season. Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Kolkstad continues to show why extending his stay at Mt Smart was so important for the Warriors. His 342 running metres from 28 carries included 100 metres after contact and were the most by a Warriors player this season - beating his own mark of 316 against Sydney Roosters. In fact, he has been the leading runner for his team six times this campaign and they've won all six. He was concussed against Melbourne Storm and missed the next game against Brisbane Broncos, otherwise he'd be higher in the competition leaders. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad scores a try against South Sydney. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport A quick tally puts him third in this category now with 2259 metres, behind Manly's Lehi Hopoate (2432) and Roosters veteran James Tedesco (2430). Look up the expression 'rocks and diamonds' in the dictionary, and you'll find Latrell Mitchell's picture next to it. When he's engaged, he's an absolute superstar - epitomised by his outrageous 55-metre field goal against Brisbane Broncos - but when he's not, he can be absolutely terrible. When he was pulled from the field late in the first half for a concussion test, his Rabbitohs were teetering. Mitchell took a head knock in the contest for a high ball that led to the Warriors' second try and, while he was off the field, counterpart Nicoll-Kolkstad scored their third to put the visitors ahead at the break. That momentum switch carried into the second half, but at 18 points down, Mitchell began to put his imprint on the contest, throwing a long pass for Johnston to score his second try. Moments later, he repeated that effort for Johnston's third. He had Nicoll-Klokstad in sixes and sevens, as his opposite slipped into touch trying to cover a long, probing kick, and eventually had his own try, taking a short pass and powering over from short range. He converted all five of his team's tries and tormented the Warriors back three with is towering kicks. Without injured veterans Cody Walker and Jack Wighton in the backline, Mitchell has had to be all things to everyone for these Rabbitohs, even playing the halves earlier in the season. The Warriors were lucky to see him at his mercurial best, yet survive to take the two competition points. There have been times over the past 12 months when Johnston probably wondered if his NRL career was over. Last season, he scored his 191st try, which was the most by any player at just one club, but suffered a season-ending Achilles tear soon afterwards. He returned to the field in the fourth round this season, but didn't reach halftime, before leaving with a rib injury. Against the Warriors, his hattrick propelled him to 200 tries - second only to former North Sydney and Manly legend Ken Irvine (212). "He's a pretty special player," Souths coach Wayne Bennett said. "He's not only a good athlete, but he's pretty smart with it." Each year, the Ken Irvine Medal is awarded to the NRL's top tryscorer and Johnston has won it three times (2020-22). Fingers crossed his body allows him to break Irvine's record soon. Both the Warriors and Rabbitohs came into this contest unbeaten when leading at halftime. The Warriors were 5/5 and Souths were 4/4, so leading at the break took on added significance. With the siren about to sound, Nicoll-Klokstad stumbled under a couple of tacklers and went again to level the scores, while Metcalf provided the extra points to put his side ahead. The achievement took on added importance, given the Warriors had been outscored after halftime of their five previous games to the value of 56-21. Against Souths, they not only outscored their opponents 22-18, they managed more second-half points than those previous five games combined. This result evens the historic head-to-head record between these two teams at 21-21 and the Warriors now improve to 17-31 against Bennett-coached teams over the past 30 years. "They like making it hard. We've practiced resilience all pre-season, we defended our line really well. They have a tight connection, they believe in each other and they don't want to let each other down." Warriors coach Andrew Webster "These guys never give up, so you never worry about the time, but we were beaten on the scoreboard and we did run out of time in the end." Souths coach Wayne Bennett The Warriors head back across the ditch next Saturday to face Cronulla Sharks, who lurk four points behind in fifth on the NRL table. So far, they have struggled to find consistency, beating the Cowboys, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles and Storm among the top eight, but losing a real headscratcher against Sydney Roosters last week, when they were at full strength and the Roosters were without a handful of Origin reps. They have a genuine star in Nico Hynes, gamebreakers throughout the backline and pack, but the player everyone will watch is former Warriors front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake, who was released early to return to Sydney this season. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ricky Stuart was a great player. He might be remembered as an even better coach
The gist of it was querying whether Canberra had overspent by signing a young forward from Newcastle who had made just one starting appearance in the NRL. My argument was that recruiting unproven rookies on big dollars was risky business, and to reinforce the point I referred to a couple of players Stuart had signed at Cronulla, who for whatever reason had not measured up. I wasn't intending to belittle Stuart, but on reflection I understood why he interpreted it that way. He felt I was having a crack at him, and perhaps more pertinently at the young player they had signed – a kid by the name of Joseph Tapine. Suffice to say, nine years down the track, I got that one wrong. Whatever Tapine has cost the Raiders, he has repaid them tenfold. The champion forward has proven to be one of their best signings. I decided the only option was to man up and admit my mistake. I could have texted or emailed Stuart, but I figured the offence I had caused him was in a public forum, so the only fair outcome was to do something I'd never done before – I wrote a column to apologise. He texted a few days later. All was forgiven, and we laugh about it now. I recount the anecdote to give you an insight into the Ricky Stuart I've come to know. He's a man of principle, and he doesn't tolerate fools. He's fiercely loyal, and he expects the same in return. He wears his heart on his sleeve, especially after a loss. And he has a remarkable eye for a footballer, which largely explains why the Raiders are second on the NRL ladder at the halfway point in their season. A quick scan of Canberra's roster reveals the most experienced player they have recruited has been Jamal Fogarty, who had played 39 top-grade games before he was willingly released by Gold Coast, despite having two years to run on his contract. The rest would appear, on paper at least, an eclectic crew of rookies, discards, Pommies and Kiwis, mixed in with local talent. Yet somehow Stuart has this unfashionable Green Machine humming like a Rolls Royce. It's not that the Raiders don't court established stars. But if a recruitment target thinks the national capital is too cold and boring, then they can go and play somewhere else. Canberra would rather invest in youngsters they can develop. As Raiders CEO Don Furner put it: 'The only big name we've ever signed is Mal Meninga [in 1986]. 'You go through all our history, nobody knew who Gary Belcher was, or Gary Coyne, or the Walters brothers when we signed them. Nobody knew who Ruben Wiki was when we signed him from New Zealand.' The same can be said of their latter-day counterparts, such as Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange, Matt Timoko, Savelio Tamale, Xavier Savage, Tom Starling, Matty Nicholson … indeed almost every player in their squad. Furner said Canberra rely on a 'Moneyball' approach, a good scouting network, and Stuart's ability to take a rough diamond and turn him into a polished gem. The result is a tough, unified, unrelenting and rapidly improving team, built and rebuilt in Stuart's own image. And that brings me, in roundabout fashion, to a question I've been pondering all season: is it now time to acknowledge that Stuart has become a better coach than he was a player? One of rugby league's most widely accepted adages is that great players don't necessarily make great coaches. The likes of Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Brad Fittler, Terry Lamb and Wayne Pearce all struggled with the week-to-week grind of running a club. The late Bob Fulton was a notable exception, winning premierships as a player and coach. There's no doubt Stuart was one of the champion halfbacks of his era. He played in four grand finals with the Raiders, winning three. He steered NSW to four State of Origin series triumphs and, despite the presence of Allan Langer, he wore the green and gold in nine Tests. He would have undoubtedly played more rep football, if not for the Super League war that fractured the game. At the peak of his powers, between 1989 and 1994, there was no more dominant force. As former Newtown, Canterbury, Balmain, Western Suburbs and Newcastle coach Warren Ryan put it: 'Ricky commanded the whole footy field, with those long spirals [passes] … he put something on everyone, from fullback to front row. If there was an opportunity beckoning a mile away, Ricky would spot it and, bang, he'd put the ball there.' Ryan changed the game with his feared up-and-in 'umbrella' defensive system. Stuart's skill allowed Canberra to overcome it and beat Balmain in the 1989 grand final. After a second knee reconstruction in 2000 forced his retirement as a player, within two years Stuart was a head coach in the NRL, handed the reins of Sydney Roosters at the age of 35. He struck premiership gold in his debut season, and could easily have guided the Roosters to a hat-trick of titles. They suffered grand final heartache in 2003 and 2004, losing narrowly to Penrith and Canterbury respectively, but during those seasons Stuart's team won 59 of the 82 games they contested. At the time, they were as formidable as Penrith and Melbourne have been in recent years. In quick succession, Stuart was coaching NSW and then Australia. He left the Roosters after five seasons and joined Cronulla for a four-year stint, guiding them to a preliminary final in 2008. Then followed a season at Parramatta, who were wooden-spooners when he arrived and wooden-spooners when he left a year later. That unhappy tenure was cut short so that Stuart could return home to Canberra, where he has spent the past 12 seasons, in the process becoming only the fifth coach in rugby league history to pass the 500-game milestone. He's the perfect fit, but it hasn't been an easy gig. Stuart has never coached a Canberra team as strong as the one he played in. Nor do the Raiders have the financial clout he once enjoyed at the Roosters. Yet he took his home-town team agonisingly close to premiership glory in 2019, and this season is shaping as his best opportunity to go all the way. The 58-year-old has zero interest in personal accolades. For starters, he knows that every week in the NRL is fraught with danger, and he doesn't want to tempt fate. And he insists that any success the Raiders enjoy is because of collective effort, not just from his players, but also the staff. 'We can't be getting ahead of ourselves, because there's still a long way to go,' Stuart said. 'If you lose two or three games in a row, the narrative changes and nobody is interested in you. So that's why I think it's important to stay very humble.' But he is clearly proud of what his team have delivered this season, declaring after last week's gutsy win in Auckland: 'I've got a tough team there, mate. Never once I doubted their toughness or resilience. I know what's deep under the jumper.' The people who know Stuart well, such as his original coach Tim Sheens, are more inclined to give credit where it's due. 'He's as good a coach as anyone that's coaching at the moment, that's for sure,' Sheens said. 'He was obviously a very intelligent player, and you often see that those guys who play in the spine move into coaching. They understand the game, because they run it. And Ricky was certainly one of those players. 'He would call the plays, play by play almost. If the boys got off track, he'd be into them on the field. He was basically coaching as a player.' Ryan, who still calls Stuart from time to time to talk footy, said: 'I can't imagine anybody other than Ricky doing that job. 'He is Canberra. He's the heart and soul of the whole thing. How could anybody else possibly coach them? He embodies what Canberra is all about. And the players and people in the national capital who follow league obviously recognise that.' Loading As for whether Stuart was a better player or coach, Ryan says he has proven himself in both roles. 'He's a terrific coach, and he was a terrific player,' Ryan said. 'How you compare the two, I don't know. When you're a player, you're the beneficiary, or the victim, of your own performance. But when you're a coach, you've got to factor in that you're the beneficiary or the victim of a lot of other people's performances, as well. Different beasts altogether. Different beasts.' On that point, Stuart agrees. 'I never lose sight of the fact that the success a coach has hinges on the talent of the players he coaches,' he said. During my time in Canberra, I once visited Stuart's former home in stately Red Hill, in among the embassies and mansions, literally next door to his teammate Bradley Clyde. The treasure trove of mementoes in his snooker room were a reminder of what a player he was: framed Test, Origin and grand final jerseys, as well as the Dally M, Rothmans and Clive Churchill medals. One of the few honours that has eluded him, during a rugby league career spanning close to four decades, is the Dally M coach-of-the-year award. At this point in proceedings, he appears at short odds to rectify that anomaly later this year. Not that he has given it a second thought. He's looking no further down the track than Sunday's clash at Allianz Stadium against the Roosters, the club he piloted to a premiership while still on his L-plates. 'That stuff really doesn't interest me,' he said. 'That's not why I coach. If you want longevity, and to have some success in the game, you can't coach for you. It's about what's best for the club, for each individual and for the team.' It would take a braver man than me to query that logic.
The Age
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Ricky Stuart was a great player. He might be remembered as an even better coach
The gist of it was querying whether Canberra had overspent by signing a young forward from Newcastle who had made just one starting appearance in the NRL. My argument was that recruiting unproven rookies on big dollars was risky business, and to reinforce the point I referred to a couple of players Stuart had signed at Cronulla, who for whatever reason had not measured up. I wasn't intending to belittle Stuart, but on reflection I understood why he interpreted it that way. He felt I was having a crack at him, and perhaps more pertinently at the young player they had signed – a kid by the name of Joseph Tapine. Suffice to say, nine years down the track, I got that one wrong. Whatever Tapine has cost the Raiders, he has repaid them tenfold. The champion forward has proven to be one of their best signings. I decided the only option was to man up and admit my mistake. I could have texted or emailed Stuart, but I figured the offence I had caused him was in a public forum, so the only fair outcome was to do something I'd never done before – I wrote a column to apologise. He texted a few days later. All was forgiven, and we laugh about it now. I recount the anecdote to give you an insight into the Ricky Stuart I've come to know. He's a man of principle, and he doesn't tolerate fools. He's fiercely loyal, and he expects the same in return. He wears his heart on his sleeve, especially after a loss. And he has a remarkable eye for a footballer, which largely explains why the Raiders are second on the NRL ladder at the halfway point in their season. A quick scan of Canberra's roster reveals the most experienced player they have recruited has been Jamal Fogarty, who had played 39 top-grade games before he was willingly released by Gold Coast, despite having two years to run on his contract. The rest would appear, on paper at least, an eclectic crew of rookies, discards, Pommies and Kiwis, mixed in with local talent. Yet somehow Stuart has this unfashionable Green Machine humming like a Rolls Royce. It's not that the Raiders don't court established stars. But if a recruitment target thinks the national capital is too cold and boring, then they can go and play somewhere else. Canberra would rather invest in youngsters they can develop. As Raiders CEO Don Furner put it: 'The only big name we've ever signed is Mal Meninga [in 1986]. 'You go through all our history, nobody knew who Gary Belcher was, or Gary Coyne, or the Walters brothers when we signed them. Nobody knew who Ruben Wiki was when we signed him from New Zealand.' The same can be said of their latter-day counterparts, such as Kaeo Weekes, Ethan Strange, Matt Timoko, Savelio Tamale, Xavier Savage, Tom Starling, Matty Nicholson … indeed almost every player in their squad. Furner said Canberra rely on a 'Moneyball' approach, a good scouting network, and Stuart's ability to take a rough diamond and turn him into a polished gem. The result is a tough, unified, unrelenting and rapidly improving team, built and rebuilt in Stuart's own image. And that brings me, in roundabout fashion, to a question I've been pondering all season: is it now time to acknowledge that Stuart has become a better coach than he was a player? One of rugby league's most widely accepted adages is that great players don't necessarily make great coaches. The likes of Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga, Brad Fittler, Terry Lamb and Wayne Pearce all struggled with the week-to-week grind of running a club. The late Bob Fulton was a notable exception, winning premierships as a player and coach. There's no doubt Stuart was one of the champion halfbacks of his era. He played in four grand finals with the Raiders, winning three. He steered NSW to four State of Origin series triumphs and, despite the presence of Allan Langer, he wore the green and gold in nine Tests. He would have undoubtedly played more rep football, if not for the Super League war that fractured the game. At the peak of his powers, between 1989 and 1994, there was no more dominant force. As former Newtown, Canterbury, Balmain, Western Suburbs and Newcastle coach Warren Ryan put it: 'Ricky commanded the whole footy field, with those long spirals [passes] … he put something on everyone, from fullback to front row. If there was an opportunity beckoning a mile away, Ricky would spot it and, bang, he'd put the ball there.' Ryan changed the game with his feared up-and-in 'umbrella' defensive system. Stuart's skill allowed Canberra to overcome it and beat Balmain in the 1989 grand final. After a second knee reconstruction in 2000 forced his retirement as a player, within two years Stuart was a head coach in the NRL, handed the reins of Sydney Roosters at the age of 35. He struck premiership gold in his debut season, and could easily have guided the Roosters to a hat-trick of titles. They suffered grand final heartache in 2003 and 2004, losing narrowly to Penrith and Canterbury respectively, but during those seasons Stuart's team won 59 of the 82 games they contested. At the time, they were as formidable as Penrith and Melbourne have been in recent years. In quick succession, Stuart was coaching NSW and then Australia. He left the Roosters after five seasons and joined Cronulla for a four-year stint, guiding them to a preliminary final in 2008. Then followed a season at Parramatta, who were wooden-spooners when he arrived and wooden-spooners when he left a year later. That unhappy tenure was cut short so that Stuart could return home to Canberra, where he has spent the past 12 seasons, in the process becoming only the fifth coach in rugby league history to pass the 500-game milestone. He's the perfect fit, but it hasn't been an easy gig. Stuart has never coached a Canberra team as strong as the one he played in. Nor do the Raiders have the financial clout he once enjoyed at the Roosters. Yet he took his home-town team agonisingly close to premiership glory in 2019, and this season is shaping as his best opportunity to go all the way. The 58-year-old has zero interest in personal accolades. For starters, he knows that every week in the NRL is fraught with danger, and he doesn't want to tempt fate. And he insists that any success the Raiders enjoy is because of collective effort, not just from his players, but also the staff. 'We can't be getting ahead of ourselves, because there's still a long way to go,' Stuart said. 'If you lose two or three games in a row, the narrative changes and nobody is interested in you. So that's why I think it's important to stay very humble.' But he is clearly proud of what his team have delivered this season, declaring after last week's gutsy win in Auckland: 'I've got a tough team there, mate. Never once I doubted their toughness or resilience. I know what's deep under the jumper.' The people who know Stuart well, such as his original coach Tim Sheens, are more inclined to give credit where it's due. 'He's as good a coach as anyone that's coaching at the moment, that's for sure,' Sheens said. 'He was obviously a very intelligent player, and you often see that those guys who play in the spine move into coaching. They understand the game, because they run it. And Ricky was certainly one of those players. 'He would call the plays, play by play almost. If the boys got off track, he'd be into them on the field. He was basically coaching as a player.' Ryan, who still calls Stuart from time to time to talk footy, said: 'I can't imagine anybody other than Ricky doing that job. 'He is Canberra. He's the heart and soul of the whole thing. How could anybody else possibly coach them? He embodies what Canberra is all about. And the players and people in the national capital who follow league obviously recognise that.' Loading As for whether Stuart was a better player or coach, Ryan says he has proven himself in both roles. 'He's a terrific coach, and he was a terrific player,' Ryan said. 'How you compare the two, I don't know. When you're a player, you're the beneficiary, or the victim, of your own performance. But when you're a coach, you've got to factor in that you're the beneficiary or the victim of a lot of other people's performances, as well. Different beasts altogether. Different beasts.' On that point, Stuart agrees. 'I never lose sight of the fact that the success a coach has hinges on the talent of the players he coaches,' he said. During my time in Canberra, I once visited Stuart's former home in stately Red Hill, in among the embassies and mansions, literally next door to his teammate Bradley Clyde. The treasure trove of mementoes in his snooker room were a reminder of what a player he was: framed Test, Origin and grand final jerseys, as well as the Dally M, Rothmans and Clive Churchill medals. One of the few honours that has eluded him, during a rugby league career spanning close to four decades, is the Dally M coach-of-the-year award. At this point in proceedings, he appears at short odds to rectify that anomaly later this year. Not that he has given it a second thought. He's looking no further down the track than Sunday's clash at Allianz Stadium against the Roosters, the club he piloted to a premiership while still on his L-plates. 'That stuff really doesn't interest me,' he said. 'That's not why I coach. If you want longevity, and to have some success in the game, you can't coach for you. It's about what's best for the club, for each individual and for the team.' It would take a braver man than me to query that logic.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Canberra's Tom Starling given one-week ban, captain Joe Tapine fined
Influential Raiders skipper Joseph Tapine has escaped a ban for a shoulder charge during Sunday's win over the Warriors, but the news isn't so good for teammate Tom Starling, who is facing a week out for a high tackle in the final few minutes. Tapine was banned for two matches for a shoulder charge against the Warriors in Las Vegas earlier this year, but the superstar prop can pay a $3000 fine if he takes the early guilty plea for his grade 1 offence. The Canberra captain risks a two-match ban if he fights the charge and loses at the judiciary following a fiery clash across the ditch that also resulted in Corey Horsburgh and Jacob Laban being hit with fines by the match review committee. Starling was slapped with a grade 2 dangerous contact charge for a high shot on Chanel Harris-Tavita after he kicked the ball late in the game, with the dummy-half sent to the sin bin. Tapine was also placed on report for a crusher tackle early in the contest but wasn't charged, with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart warning the NRL after the match to not punish players for being aggressive. 'We have to be careful that we don't go and want to scrutinise aggressive actions in a game that is moulded on pure aggression and passion,' he said. 'On Wednesday night, we've got one of the most special games in our calendar happening and it has created its profile and culture and passion, Origin, through aggression. 'And I'm not at all promoting foul play, I'm dead against foul play. I've said before you will get a lot of accidental high shots with the speed and intensity of our game and that's a part of it now, penalty given, I get that, that's fine. 'I'm not promoting foul play but don't go penalising, and I don't mean penalising out there but with match review committees, we can't just go willy-nilly bashing players for aggression because you need them in our game. 'We can't keep calling ourselves an entertaining game and get the broadcasters' money. Well, aggression is a big part of it.'
