It's the $3.5 million exclamation mark that emphasises why the Canberra Raiders have invested in Ricky Stuart long-term.
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While former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur's record is almost exactly the same as Stuart's during their most recent reigns, they've experienced vastly different fortunes in the past two weeks.
It's the NRL equivalent of the Thunderdome - where two coaches enter, but one is sacked.
In this case, the other walks away with a four-year contract extension - perfectly timed to coincide with the release of the latest Mad Max movie.
The coaching Thunderdome seems to be in full swing at the moment following the sacking of not only Arthur, but former South Sydney coach Andrew Demetriou as well.
Super coach Wayne Bennett will return to the Rabbitohs for the second edition of Wayne's World, while Manly coach Anthony Seibold has been dragged in following reports he walked out on a meeting to discuss extending his time with the Sea Eagles.
Stuart has won 133 of his 257 games in charge of the Green Machine, for a win rate of 51.75 per cent.
He's led the Raiders to one grand final and two additional preliminary finals as part of five finals appearances in 10 years - and they've made four of the past five play-offs.
Arthur's record is almost identical.
He's won 137 of his 264, for a win rate of 51.89 per cent, and made one grand final at the end of five finals campaigns in a row - across the same decade.
But Arthur's been shown the door by the Eels, less than a week after the Raiders coach had a massive contract extension - even though he still had 18 months to go on his current deal.
It's raised the question of whether Arthur was hard done by.
There's one clear difference between the two - the Raiders appear to be on an upward trajectory, despite having been written off at the start of the season, while the Eels are going the other way.
The Raiders are sitting sixth, with this year's finals a realistic possibility.
![Ricky Stuart has got the Green Machine heading on an upward trajectory. Picture by Karleen Minney Ricky Stuart has got the Green Machine heading on an upward trajectory. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/36d5f8af-e127-4d64-a379-5936dfe3deaf.jpg/r0_550_8256_5210_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
In contrast, after making the 2022 grand final, the Eels missed the playoffs completely last year and are currently languishing in 14th on the NRL ladder.
Yeah sure, they've been without their most important player - Mitchell Moses (foot) - for an extended period (and have also had captain Clint Gutherson (knee) sidelined for a few weeks), but it's not like they're Robinson Crusoe there.
It actually pales in comparison to the injuries Stuart's had to deal with this year - on top of having to blood a raft of young guns into key positions.
THE $3.5 MILLION GAMECHANGER
The Raiders boss has had $3.5 million - or almost one-third - of his salary cap sitting in the stands for a large chunk of the season.
That includes his own on-field general, halfback Jamal Fogarty (biceps), Raiders captain Elliott Whitehead (calf), fullback Jordan Rapana (knee), Corey Horsburgh (groin), boom recruit Zac Hosking (shoulder) and the unfortunate Corey Harawira-Naera (heart).
So the Raiders halfback, fullback, captain, an Origin player and almost one-third of the salary cap have missed 37 NRL games between them this season - equating to an average of more than six games each over Canberra's opening 10 games.
Fogarty (round 20-21), Hosking (round 20-22) and Horsburgh (round 13-15) were yet to return, while it's uncertain whether Harawira-Naera will play at all this year.
Yet the Raiders were still defying external expectations to sit in the top eight - leading to NRL Immortal Andrew Johns to call it Stuart's greatest coaching performance of his career.
Young gun five-eighth Ethan Strange has been a revelation in the No.6 jersey, while the young outside backs have shown they have the potential to become one of the most dangerous units in the NRL.
CONTRACT OPTIONS
Raiders chair Dennis Richardson wanted to lock in Stuart long-term to give "continuity and certainty" for all the young talent currently coming through the Canberra ranks.
"It wasn't a pre-determined plan. When I started to see these younger players sign up, I wondered about Ricky and thought, 'Why not extend? Why not create the certainty'? It was simply a good fit," Richardson said.
Stuart was extended through until the end of 2029 - taking him beyond a number of Green Machine stars who have been re-signed in recent years.
![Ethan Strange has signed on with the Green Machine until 2028. Picture by Keegan Carroll Ethan Strange has signed on with the Green Machine until 2028. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/da240db6-67b4-4771-9963-848a7986b651.jpg/r0_253_6000_3640_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Strange has signed on until 2028, Sebastian Kris until 2027, Joe Tapine and Hudson Young until 2027, and Matt Timoko, Ata Mariota, Morgan Smithies and Zac Hosking until 2026.
Chevy Stewart has inked until 2026, with an option for an extra year, while Xavier Savage is there until at least the end of next season.
The Raiders were in the process of finalising a deal to keep Trey Mooney on until 2027, while they're bringing young halfback Ethan Sanders in from Parramatta for the next three years.
Former NSW Blues under-19 lock Myles Martin is also set to join the club, while the Raiders have been linked with young English backrower Matty Nicholson.
If all that talent can continue its upward trajectory under Stuart, then the Green Machine really is well-placed for the future.
NRL ROUND 12
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Canberra Stadium, 3pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Kaeo Weekes, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ata Mariota, 16. Trey Mooney, 17. Peter Hola. Reserves: 18. Albert Hopoate, 19. Zac Woolford, 20. Simi Sasagi, 21. Michael Asomua, 22. Hohepa Puru.
Roosters squad: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 4. Joseph Manu, 5. Dominic Young, 6. Luke Keary, 7. Sam Walker, 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 9. Brandon Smith, 10. Lindsay Collins, 11. Angus Crichton, 12. Victor Radley, 13. Naufahu Whyte. Interchange: 14. Sandon Smith, 15. Egan Butcher, 16. Spencer Leniu, 17. Terrell May. Reserves: 18. Fetalaiga Pauga, 19. Nat Butcher, 20. Siua Wong, 21. Zach Dockar-Clay, 22. Ethan King.