Ricky Stuart, not for the first time, has got everyone talking after one of his post-match press conferences.
After throwing his support behind South Sydney forward Jai Arrow in his battle against Motor Neurone Disease – and acknowledging that the Dolphins deservedly beat his side on Friday night – the Canberra coach turned his attention to the state of the game.
Just days before rugby league’s showpiece event, the State of Origin series, a “confused” Stuart said he didn’t understand how the game is being officiated.
Stuart’s press conference, in which he didn’t field any questions, lasted one minute and 51 seconds. The final minute was dedicated to the new rule changes and how they have been interpreted during this year.
“But the game has interpretations and rules, and we’re in a position at the moment where we’re picking and choosing when we apply them, and it’s a very frustrating situation for those who are involved as players and coaches,” Stuart said.
“In all the years I’ve been involved in the game as a coach, I’ve never been so confused. It’s disappointing to say the least, but I mean, I’m just so confused at the moment, in regards to, I mean, you can’t have a rule and apply it one week and not the next week. It’s just as I say, I’ve never been so confused, and it’s disappointing, because I love the game. Thank you.”
In February, the NRL announced six-agains would be awarded for infringements outside the attacking team’s 20 metres, having previously only being awarded outside the 40 metres. It has led to an increase in scoring.
Stuart has often sailed close to the wind during his post-match press conferences, which is why they are so entertaining. The premiership-winning mentor has already amassed a six-figure sum in fines throughout his career with the clipboard, and it remains to be seen if he will add to the tally following his latest theatrics.
On Monday, after naming his team for Origin one, NSW coach Laurie Daley was asked how the game would be officiated.
“I don’t know how it’s going to be refereed,” Daley conceded.
Traditionally, referees put their whistles in their pockets during the interstate series. However, will they take a less interventionist stance with set restarts at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night for the Origin opener? Will this Origin contest be an edge-of-your-seat arm wrestle or a points-scoring extravaganza?
Most pundits felt the game as a spectacle was as good as it has ever been during last year’s finals. But on the eve of the season, the NRL made a series of rule changes that have left fans, players – and coaches, including Stuart – confused.
Earlier in the week, Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould said the club is “rethinking everything about our operation” after building a squad and game plan that doesn’t fit the new rules.
Speaking on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast on Wednesday, Gould said the defence-focused style that had earned Canterbury a top-three finish last season is no longer successful in 2026.
Is Stuart just whingeing after his team lost? Or is he raising legitimate concerns about a game that appears to be a different product from the one we witnessed last year?
Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
