The Canberra Raiders are putting plans in place to ensure Ricky Stuart's potential absence doesn't lead to them falling off the finals tightrope this weekend.
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Stuart was on Monday night reportedly set to be suspended from coaching the club in this weekend's must-win clash against the Dragons - in addition to receiving a significant fine - for calling Penrith's Jaeman Salmon a "weak-gutted dog" in an explosive post-match press conference.
The NRL Integrity Unit head Jason King spoke to Stuart and Raiders boss Don Furner on Monday to discuss the reasons behind Stuart's outburst.
If Stuart is banned, Brett White is understood to be the leading candidate to take the reins while Andrew McFadden - who has NRL head coaching experience - will offer support.
Stuart is still declining the opportunity to publicly shed more light on why he was so hostile towards Salmon, and is prepared to accept whatever punishment is handed down.
The Raiders will return to training on Tuesday as they wait for an official ruling from head office.
The club denounced Stuart's comments on Monday, saying coaches had a responsibility to "conduct themselves professionally when making public comment".
Stuart has apologised for the way he reacted to being asked about an on-field incident involving Salmon. But it may not save him for one of the harshest coaching penalties in decades.
The issue has divided opinion, with some saying a ban would be too harsh given no coach has been suspended under those circumstances. Others say standing Stuart down is the only option because of the brutal personal take down.
Former NSW captain Paul Gallen slammed those calling for Stuart to be banned, describing the reaction as "utterly ridiculous".
"The trouble is, as soon as someone says something controversial, we want to punish them and hang them out to dry," Gallen wrote in a Channel Nine column.
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"Suspending Ricky would be preposterous ... The quicker the NRL nips this in the bud, by fining Ricky and moving on, the better everyone will be. And I mean everyone, not just Ricky. This whole matter is not good for anyone.
"And talk of suspending Ricky is just ridiculous. What are you suspending him for? Having an opinion?
"... Clearly Ricky went too far, it wasn't the time or place to be saying what he did, but he's apologised, so what is achieved by suspending him?"
Losing Stuart would be a bitter blow for the ninth-placed Raiders, who are locked in a battle to keep their finals hopes alive and need to beat the Dragons to make sure they stay in touch with the top eight.
The personal nature of Stuart's attack has put the NRL in a sticky situation. His verbal lashing of Salmon was unprecedented, with the bad blood stemming from an altercation between Salmon and Stuart's son Jackson when they were junior players a decade ago.
"As a club we do not condone the comments made by Ricky in Saturday night's press conference and we are currently in dialogue with the NRL and cooperating with all their inquiries. We will accept their findings and any sanctions they hand down," Furner said.
"Being a head coach is a high-pressure job and comes with intense scrutiny from fans, media, and public and we understand emotion is high following a match.
"However, as a club we acknowledge that coaches also have a responsibility to ensure they conduct themselves professionally when making public comment."
"Ricky has already publicly apologised for his actions on Saturday night, and we will continue to support him both professionally and personally."
Stuart has been fined more than $100,000 throughout his coaching career, with the bulk of that attributed to post-match comments about refereeing decisions or incidents in a game.
Players have been told not to comment, while Salmon was given a chance to defend himself at Canberra Stadium before Panthers officials stepped in to stop him from speaking publicly.
Stuart's jaw-dropping post-match press conference was in reaction to Salmon's lash-out kick below the belt on Raiders hooker Tom Starling, and the coach's comments quickly attracted widespread criticism from the rugby league community, as well as Salmon's own family.
Salmon was fined for the incident. "It was a grade-one charge, so it's at the lower end of the scale," said NRL head of football Graham Annesely.
"But we don't want to see any of those types of action in the game and that's why there's a process in place to discourage that ... hopefully we don't see it happen again."
The Raiders need everything to go in their favour to force their way back into the finals, with games against the Dragons, Knights, Manly and Tigers to finish the season.
They are one win behind the eighth-placed Roosters, but need to win all games and relay on the Roosters losing at least two to ensure they earn a play-off spot.
The Raiders will hope to put the matter to bed and re-focus on their next game on Sunday afternoon in Canberra against the Dragons, as they fight to keep their finals hopes alive with wins needed in the four remaining games of the regular season.
A "truly sorry" Stuart backed down on Sunday morning, explaining that he "was was speaking as a father and not as a football coach", referencing a "history" between Salmon and his family as the source of his "emotions" getting the better of him.
Specific details are not known on what exactly the history is, but it has been reported that it had Stuart and Salmon's father in a heated exchange as the Raiders coach's son was in tears.
A statement on the Panthers' website on Sunday formally addressed the controversy as reports claim the club are exploring their options to purse legal action over Stuart's spray.
"With respect to the comments made post-game Saturday night, the club is monitoring the situation," the statement read. "Salmon's wellbeing is the club's priority, and Panthers is ensuring he is supported at this time."
Salmon meanwhile accepted an early plea for a grade one contrary conduct charge for the groin-kick on Starling which sparked Stuart's reaction, copping a $1000 fine for the incident. He will be free to face the Storm on Thursday.
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