Ricky Stuart Beams with Pride as Son Jed Shines on Debut, Leading Raiders to Victory Over Tigers

Canberra Raiders’ coach Ricky Stuart had much to celebrate on Friday night at Campbelltown as he witnessed his team secure a win, with his son adding to the scoreline by netting a try on his debut.

When Nine’s cameras focused on Stuart just two minutes after the try, he walked away, seemingly devoid of emotion.

However, Brad Fittler revealed this wasn’t the full story.

“His eyes were a bit teary just a couple of minutes back,” he noted on Nine.

“When Jed received the ball, he was urging him on like a jockey would at the races, ‘come on Jed, come on mate’.”

Fittler also mentioned that Kaylie, Stuart’s wife, was in tears during the match.

Jed’s try was part of a remarkable first half for the Raiders, who kept the Tigers scoreless.

Joseph Tapine kicked things off with a try, assisted by fellow prop Josh Papalii.

Jed followed up with a try of his own thanks to a superb flick pass from centre Seb Kris.

“How good is that?” exclaimed Phil Gould.

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Tom Starling extended the Raiders’ lead in the 23rd minute, sending them into halftime with a 16-4 advantage.

Raiders assistant coach Brock Shepperd explained to Fittler at the break that Stuart had been quite restrained in his reactions.

“He’s been keeping his emotions in check this week… probably let out a little internally,” he said.

The Tigers returned to the field in the second half with a different mindset.

Alex Seyfarth scored in the 48th minute following a clever grubber from Jarome Luai.

Starford To’a added another moments later, closing the gap to 16-12.

Things turned controversial in the final stages when the Raiders successfully challenged a penalty for a hair pull.

With eight minutes remaining, Xavier Savage was penalised for a ruck infringement involving Jeral Skelton.

But Savage argued there was a hair pull, prompting the Raiders to challenge the ruling.

“You can’t overturn that for a hair pull… stop it,” Andrew Johns protested.

Despite Johns’ protests, the Bunker sided with the Raiders, cancelling the penalty due to the hair pull.

“Funny game, rugby league—it evolves before our eyes,” said Gould. “That’s a significant moment.”

Fittler voiced his disagreement.

“I can’t believe you both think that’s acceptable. Are you serious? Do you think pulling someone’s hair is alright? You’ve both lost the plot,” he chuckled.

Ultimately, the Tigers were unable to deliver a winning blow, as the Raiders’ defence held strong until the final whistle.

In the post-match interview, a beaming Jed expressed his joy to Fittler.

“That was fantastic; scoring on my debut is really something special,” he said.

Father and son shared a heartfelt embrace after the interview, with Stuart managing to hold back tears.