Ricky Stuart’s press conference spray after his Canberra side’s pitiful loss to North Queensland was nothing compared to the scolding he reserved for his players, says second-rower Hudson Young.
Stuart publicly excoriated his men for a “precious, spoilt” performance in Saturday’s 42-4 defeat which all but ended their NRL finals chances.
And he had every right to, said Young.
It was the fifth time the Raiders have conceded 40 points or more this season, and the second in two games.
Young felt they had developed an unacceptable habit of throwing in the towel when the going got tough.
“We spoke all week about going up there and putting a performance in, especially with our season on the line. So as a team, we’re really embarrassed of that,” he said.
“We’ve got to be mentally tougher and better as a footy team.
“What you saw in the press conference was probably nothing compared to what we got in the sheds.”
Halfback Jamal Fogarty said the players knew immediately they had let Stuart down.
“I think the best thing about Stick (Stuart) is he’s honest. And if that’s the way he feels, then obviously that’s a reflection of us,” he said.
“He was more disappointed than probably an angry Ricky Stewart blow-up.
“He was more like a disappointed dad, I guess, and really embarrassed by the way we played.
“When you do play poorly, you’re the first person to know. So we don’t need other people telling us how bad we played.”
A win against the Cowboys would’ve lifted the Raiders to 10th on the ladder, level on points with the Dolphins and just two points behind eighth-placed St George Illawarra.
Instead, they remain stuck in 12th, requiring other results to go their way to make finals even if they manage to win their remaining three games.
That would be a feat in itself, with triple-reigning premiers Penrith their next opponent, before tricky trips to the in-form Roosters and Dragons.
“If there’s still a possibility, then we definitely got to hang on to that,” Fogarty said.
“Obviously, a lot of people are going to say there’s no chance, they’re not going to win three games from three, and other teams aren’t going to lose three.
“But I think for us, we still got to believe that we that we’re still a chance and start this weekend.”
By Jacob Shteyman in Canberra
