Ricky Stuart vows to right Raiders ship after ‘embarrassing’ defeat

Raiders manager Ricky Stuart has vowed to crook astir the fortunes of his young broadside aft Canberra were thrashed 40-0 by the Sharks.

The Raiders were outplayed by a top-of-the-table Sharks broadside who handed successful arguably their champion show of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Stuart struck a dejected fig successful his post-match property conference, preferring not to elaborate excessively overmuch connected the “embarrassing” defeat.

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“It’s precise hard to sum up thing that happened 10 minutes ago,” helium told reporters.

“There was excessively galore missed tackles. There was a batch of mediocre football.

“You don’t spot thing similar that coming.

“It was 1 of those games of shot we person to permission successful the past … we person a precise abbreviated week.

“I’m not trying to beryllium rude oregon disrespectful to you guys (journalists), but I don’t truly consciousness similar dwelling connected overmuch of it astatine the moment.”

It’s nary concealed that the Raiders are fielding 1 of the astir inexperienced sides successful the comp, particularly astatine cardinal positions.

Chevy Stewart, 18, is playing astatine fullback successful spot of an injured Jordan Rapana and 13-gamer Kaeo Weekes started astatine halfback successful his nine debut aft Jamal Fogarty injured his bicep against the Broncos past week.

In summation to Rapana and Fogarty, the Raiders are besides missing skipper Elliott Whitehead and Origin rep Corey Horsburgh owed to injury.

Weekes partnered 19-year-old Ethan Strange successful the halves, with the 2 players incapable to spark overmuch successful onslaught arsenic the Raiders were precise predictable erstwhile challenging the Sharks’ enactment passim the game.

“He didn’t person a batch of assistance tonight,” Stuart said erstwhile asked however helium thought Weekes fared.

The Raiders coach, who was celebrating his 500th NRL crippled arsenic a caput coach, admits the injuries person and volition proceed to instrumentality a toll, but refuses to usage it arsenic an excuse.

Instead, helium is keen connected “working hard” to getting this squad into a presumption to combat for a finals spot.

“I’m not backtracking from the way we’ve taken with a batch of those younger players, but I didn’t expect astatine this signifier of the play having to play truthful galore of them altogether,” Stuart said.

“Please don’t spot this arsenic an excuse, due to the fact that these young blokes are each bully players. There was immoderate mediocre shot retired determination today, but we got truthful galore games sitting connected the sidelines, it makes the occupation truthful overmuch harder for those young guys to play archetypal grade.

“They’re hurting and I’m hurting for them.”

Stuart was asked by a newsman whether determination volition beryllium lessons learned from tonight’s result.

“You don’t privation to beryllium learning done those types of games and results. Cronulla was mode excessively bully for america tonight,” Stuart answered.

“I’ve conscionable got to beryllium diligent and support moving with the younger players, due to the fact that those boys that are injured they’re not backmost for a fig of weeks.

“We person 2 to 3 months of this, but I tin guarantee you we volition support moving astatine it and play better.

“We had a bully fig of fans retired determination tonight. I felt embarrassed but we’ll conscionable support moving hard.”

Originally published arsenic Ricky Stuart vows to close Raiders vessel aft ‘embarrassing’ defeat