Ricky Stuart

Infobox rugby league biography
playername = Ricky Stuart
fullname = Ricky Stuart
nickname = Sticky

---

caption =
country =
position = rlp|HB
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1967|01|07|df=yes
placeofbirth = Queanbeyan, NSW
countryofbirth = Australia
height = convert|176|cm|ftin|abbr=on
weight = convert|74|kg|stlb|abbr=on
club1 = leagueicon|Canberra|16 Canberra Raiders
year1start = 1988
year1end = 1998
appearances1 = 203
tries1 = 39
goals1 = 7
fieldgoals1 = 25
points1 = 195
club2 = leagueicon|Bulldogs|16 Bulldogs
year2start = 1999
year2end = 2000
appearances2 = 40
tries2 = 2
goals2 = 0
fieldgoals2 = 2
points2 = 10
teamA = leagueicon|New South Wales|16 New South Wales
yearAstart = 1990
yearAend = 1994
appearancesA = 14
triesA = 3
goalsA = 0
fieldgoalsA = 0
pointsA = 12
teamB = leagueicon|Australia|16 Australia
yearBstart = 1990
yearBend = 1994
appearancesB = 9
triesB = 1
goalsB = 0
fieldgoalsB = 1
pointsB = 5
coachteam1 = leagueicon|Sydney|16 Sydney Roosters
coachyear1start = 2002
coachyear1end = 2006
coachgames1 = 130
coachwins1 = 78
coachdraws1 = 1
coachlosses1 = 51
coachteam2 = leagueicon|Cronulla|16 Cronulla Sharks
coachyear2start = 2007
coachyear2end = present
coachgames2 = 35
coachwins2 = 17
coachdraws2 = 0
coachlosses2 = 18
coachteamA = leagueicon|Country|16 Country Origin
coachyearAstart = 2004
coachyearAend =
coachgamesA = 1
coachwinsA = 1
coachdrawsA = 0
coachlossesA = 0
coachwin%A = 100
coachteamB = leagueicon|New South Wales|16 New South Wales
coachyearBstart = 2005
coachyearBend =
coachgamesB = 3
coachwinsB = 2
coachdrawsB = 0
coachlossesB = 1
coachwin%B = 67
coachteamC = leagueicon|Australia|16 Australia
coachyearCstart = 2006
coachyearCend = present
coachgamesC = 9
coachwinsC = 8
coachdrawsC = 0
coachlossesC = 1
coachwin%C = 89
updated = 2 June 2008
source = [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/players/Ricky_Stuart.html Rugby League Project]

Ricky Stuart (born 7 January 1967 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales) is an Australian former representative rugby league and rugby union footballer - a dual-code international - and the current coach of the Australian rugby league team. He also played State of Origin for New South Wales in the first Gould era. At club level, Ricky Stuart was the half-back of the "Green Machine", the Canberra Raiders team that won 3 premierships in 1989, 1990 and 1994 and were runners up in 1991 who were coached by Tim Sheens. He is currently coach of the Cronulla Sharks and was formerly coach of the Sydney Roosters until late in the 2006 season.

Playing career

Stuart's union career was with the Queanbeyan Whites before being selected for the Wallabies tour of Argentina in 1987. Stuart had originally played rugby league as a child and his father was a prominent member of Canberra's football communityFact|date=August 2007 but he took up rugby union while attending St Edmund's College. [cite news | format=Fee required | title=Stuart given honour of addressing Wallabies | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-87203669.html | accessdate=2007-08-12 | date=2003-11-14 | publisher="AAP Sports News (Australia) " ] Stuart would later remark that he could have earned more playing union due to shamateurism, than by moving back to his childhood game of league.Fact|date=August 2007

Stuart then switched codes to league and joined the Canberra Raiders team in 1988, winning the club's player of the year award that season. He was a key member of the club's most successful period in the late 1980s, playing halfback inside a backline including legendary talents Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and Gary Belcher. Stuart won three premierships with the Canberra Raiders, playing 203 games and winning the Clive Churchill Medal in 1990. In 1992 and 1993 he was again named the Raiders' player of the year and in 1993 Stuart won the Dally M Medal for the Winfield Cup's Player of the Year.

Stuart's international rugby league debut in the 1st Test against Great Britain in London in October 1990 saw him become Australia's 38th dual code rugby international, following Michael O'Connor and preceding Scott Gourley. He played nine test matches for Australia from 1990, touring with the Australian side to Great Britain and France in 1990 and 1994. Stuart also played fourteen State of Origin matches for New South Wales. He was named man-of-the-match in the second game of the 1990 series.

Stuart retired from first grade after playing 40 games for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 1999-2000.

Coaching career

ydney Roosters

Stuart began his first grade coaching career in 2002 with the Sydney Roosters, taking over from Graham Murray and winning the premiership in his first year as coach. In 2003 and 2004 Stuart-coached Roosters sides were beaten in Grand Finals, but the team struggled in 2005 and 2006 despite the high calibre of the player roster. Stuart's contract was terminated and he left the Roosters two weeks before the end of the 2006 season.

Cronulla Sharks

In 2007 Stuart took over as coach at the Cronulla Sharks with a two year contract. He replaced Stuart Raper.

Representative Coaching

In 2005, Stuart was appointed coach of the New South Wales. His coaching approach continued the Phil Gould legacy of matching the Queensland passion by focussing the NSW players' pride in the jumper and achievements of those who have worn it before.

In 2006 Stuart was appointed as coach of Australian national rugby league team, replacing Wayne Bennett after Australia's loss in the 2005 Tri-Nations final to New Zealand. Stuart has so far enjoyed success with the Kangaroos victors in the Anzac Tests of 2006 & 2007, in winning the Tri Nations series of 2006 thus regaining the mantle of World Champions and in the end of season 2007 one-off Test against New Zealand. To the end of 2007 his Australian coaching record stands at six victories from seven matches. He is expected to coach the Kangaroos through to the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/01/sports/AS-RGL-Australia-Squad.php|title=Veteran Lockyer named in Australian squad|publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-08-02]

He has named his Australia squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7656211.stm|title=Manly six win Australia call-up|publisher=BBC|date=2008-10-07|accessdate=2008-10-07] [cite news|author=Liam FitzGibbon|publisher="Fox Sports News (Australia)"|title=Surprises in Kangaroos squad|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24111780-23214,00.html|accessdate=2008-08-02|date=2008-08-01] cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/01/sports/AS-RGL-Australia-Squad.php|title=Veteran Lockyer named in Australian squad|publisher=International Herald Tribune|date=2008-08-01|accessdate=2008-08-02]

References

External links

* [http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/index.cgi?det=1&intArticleID=287&sID=21 Stuart Appointed Kangaroos Coach] "Australian Rugby League"
* [http://www.sydneyroosters.com.au/yourroosters/playerprofile.php?coach_name=Ricky%20Stuart Sydney Roosters Profile] "Sydney Roosters Rugby League 2006"
* [http://www.nrl.com/Clubs/Roosters/RoostersTeam/tabid/223/Default.aspx National Rugby League Profile] "National Rugby League Home"
* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/players/Ricky_Stuart.html Ricky Stuart] "Rugby League Tables & Statistics"
* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/soo/nsw.html State of Origin / New South Wales Players] "Rugby League Tables & Statistics"