Ricky Stuart is ready to hit the town and celebrate with his 1994 Raiders teammates after a gutsy win over the Bulldogs.
It didn’t come easy for the Raiders, who were forced to play six minutes with 11 men after Jordan Rapana and Josh Papalii were sin-binned.
But a Hudson Young second-half double and Rapana’s boot helped them secure their seventh win of the season in front of a host of club legends.
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The Raiders celebrated 30 years on since their 1994 Grand Final win over the Bulldogs with the likes of Laurie Dailey and Bradley Clyde on deck at Suncorp Stadium for the reunion.
It was clear just how important the win was to Stuart, who was more emotional than usual on the sideline when the full-time siren sounded after a frantic finish.
Stuart joked in his post-game press conference that he’ll be “doubling the dosage of the heart tablets this week” after yet another close finish.
He also opened up on how “special” it was to have the Raiders’ last premiership-winning squad in the sheds to share the win with.
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“It was lovely having all of our ‘94 boys in there,” he said.
“It was nice, (the NRL) probably bent the rules a little bit because they don’t want too many in the change rooms at Magic Round but it’s a special night tonight with the ‘94 boys.
“It just shows that (the NRL) had a little bit of understanding of the emotions of the game.
“It was a lovely sign of respect for Quentin Pongia (1994 premiership-winner, who passed away in 2019) with a minute’s silence and then our Kiwi boys did a Haka, which is always very moving.
“I love the passion they put into their Haka. It’s something that probably replicated the passion and the emotion of the game.
“I’ve seen individuals, I’ve seen teams, I’ve seen past eras that sometimes don’t want the current squad winning and being successful because they don’t want the spotlight taken off them.
“The ‘94 boys, that era, our club, we are so behind the current person in our jumper. That’s one good thing about the Canberra Raiders, that we support the player in our jumper.
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The win caps an enormous week for Stuart, who on Wednesday signed a new deal that will keep him at the helm until the end of 2029.
Stuart said he was “privileged to accept the deal” and pointed to the win as a reason why he re-signed.
“When I talk about our DNA or our character I think you sometimes think that I just have to say things to make it sound pretty,” he said.
“But I wouldn’t paint a beautiful picture if it wasn’t there. That’s the DNA of this club.”
When asked what his plans are now that the game is over, Stuart said: “I’m going to have a couple of days with the ‘94 boys.”
Raiders skipper Elliott Whitehead joked “he might not be flying down tomorrow,” before Stuart added: “I should be back for captain’s run.”
The Raiders host the Roosters on Saturday, May 25 at GIO Stadium.
Source Agencies
