Pressure of a Sticky situation

“We can’t look back, we’ve got to look at what we can do to become successful, what we can do to become a consistently strong football team,” Stuart says. “I’m the same as every supporter out there, I want to win.”

If Stuart is a man under pressure – which he often seems to be – he refuses to concede.

He won an NRL title with the Roosters in his rookie season as coach, in 2002, and took them to three consecutive grand finals. But it’s his recent results, since 2009, at Cronulla and Parramatta, that stick with critics of the man known as Sticky.

His controversial decision to quit Parramatta after last year’s wooden spoon season that included only five wins has again made him a target, this time of Eels faithful.

Now, at the helm of his fourth NRL club, it’s understandable Stuart can feel more at home. He is home.

At the Raiders he won three premierships as a player, a Rothman’s Medal for best player in the competition and a Clive Churchill Medal for best player in a grand final.

Now he fulfils an ambition to coach the club.

“It’s a privilege to be coach of the Raiders,” Stuart says.

“Pressure’s in the job when you sign on, I’ve had that my whole career, but I don’t feel any extra pressure here.”

There is expectation on Stuart. Last year the Raiders took the unprecedented step of sacking a coach, another favourite son as a player, David Furner.

Two of their biggest stars were sacked along the way as well, State of Origin representatives Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson.

Worse than the results, the club’s spirit and resolve seemed broken by the end of a tumultuous year.

Stuart’s first task was to address that spirit. The mood within a professional football club oscillates drastically depending on wins and losses, so the true litmus test awaits.

But, before a game has been played, the buoyant mood within the Raiders playing group looks promising.

“There were a couple of things I said when I got there, I wanted to make it fun and simple for them,” Stuart says.

“We’re creating our own culture now. I haven’t looked back at what’s happened here, I really haven’t. It hasn’t bothered me what’s happened here. I reviewed the season last year in terms of statistics. But like I told the players, it’s a brand new page.

“We need our experienced players to be the role models for the nursery of youth coming through. They’ve got to set an example of how they train, prepare, how they live their life and then perform.

“I was fortunate when I was a player here, with a lot of young talent, that we had a lot of great role models above us. That wasn’t necessarily the best players. Fortunately we had Mal [Meninga] and Gary Belcher. But also players like Phil Carey, Gary Coyne, Dean Lance, they’re players that come to mind straight away.”

Stuart has cut the Raiders senior leadership group to just four, dubbed Group 82, in honour of the club’s founding season.

There was only ever one man Stuart regarded to lead it.

Skipper Terry Campese chose to sit out last year’s World Cup with Italy, a leaked club email revealing ongoing concerns with his knees. But Stuart says he couldn’t have been more impressed with the captain’s pre-season.

“I never thought about not having him as captain,” Stuart says. “I was fortunate enough in 2008 to have him on an Australian World Cup Tour, I know his background well, his family. He’s got the club at heart.

“His decision to stand down for the World Cup [last year] was a remarkable decision that’s benefited Terry and his off-season. He’s very unselfish, he puts his club first. That was a sign that this club and this season means a lot to him.

“He’s been a real leader by example at the moment. There hasn’t been a lot of words, he’s led by his actions.

“I want to see his competitiveness in every player. If we have that, we’ll have desire. In this game you’ve got to have some ruthless.”

Stuart has been bold too. Taking on a team he’s completely inherited, he’s added his touch with positional play and showing faith in youth.

Stuart has backed youngster Jack Wighton, who started his NRL career on the wing, as a champion five-eighth, whether it be now or in the future.

Long-term halfback Josh McCrone has been training extensively at hooker, although he remains a valuable utility asset.

Stuart doesn’t shy away from his decisions.

“The two biggest ones [in the past] were moving [Anthony] Minichiello to fullback from the wing [at the Roosters] and moving Paul Gallen to the front row in Origin [for NSW]. That could have crucified me, but they proved right,” Stuart says.

“Jack’s a natural football player and I believe he has a great potential as a six. But if that doesn’t happen day one, it’ll happen somewhere down the track.”