NRL 2024: Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart set to sign four-year contract extension

Ricky Stuart’s dream to never again coach against his beloved Raiders is about to be realised, with the unofficial King of Canberra poised to ink a monster contract extension.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is set to sign a four-year contract extension. Picture: Getty Images

Ricky Stuart’s dream to never again coach against his beloved Raiders is about to be realised.

The unofficial King of Canberra is poised to ink a new four-year deal that will maintain his reign over the Raiders, through until the end of 2029.

The major contract development is on the verge of being rubber-stamped by a united and unanimous Canberra board that wants Stuart in charge of guiding and mentoring the club’s next-generation of stars.

Already the club’s longest-serving coach in their history, the anticipated contract extension will take Stuart to an extraordinary 16-years in charge of the Raiders, having first taken over as head coach in 2014.

An official announcement could be made as early as Wednesday with the contract renewal further cause for celebration ahead of the club’s much-anticipated 30-year reunion of the 1994 premiership-winning Raiders side, which Stuart was the halfback of, in Brisbane on Friday night.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is set to sign a four-year contract extension. Picture: Getty Images

Stuart was under contract at the Raiders until the end of 2025 and his extension is reward for his current coaching excellence in steering a young Raiders spine into the top-eight.

The 57-year-old has been praised by experts and even his harshest of critics for achieving success during a period of major roster overhaul.

Last month against the Sharks, the Raiders fielded the youngest combination of fullback, five-eighth and halfback in their 42-year history with Kaeo Weekes, 22, partnering Ethan Strange, 19 and rookie fullback Chevy Stewart, 18.

The 2016 Dally M coach of the year has also recruited talented 18-year-old half Ethan Sanders on a three-year deal from next season.

The length of the contract extension for Stuart mirrors that of the majority of the club’s brightest young talent, providing the club with stability, clarity and a plan moving forward.

“I coach to win games today. But also, I have to coach to win in two, three seasons,’’ Stuart told The Daily Telegraph last month.

“It’s a really tough balancing act to have that attitude.

“But if I don’t have that attitude you can’t build longevity of competitiveness at your football club.’’

Stuart says he never wants to coach against the Raiders again for the rest of his career. Picture: Getty Images

Stuart spoke of his ambition to never coach against the Raiders at the time of his most recent contract extension in 2019.

“My passion and enthusiasm for the club is 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Stuart said.

“I’m like the fan who sits out there and braves the cold, I want to win and win a competition as much as they do.

“I can assure you that every waking moment is about delivering that promise one day.

“The greatest opportunity I had in coaching was to come back here and coach the club I played for.”

Stuart also notched up 500 games as a head coach last month, to which ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys paid tribute to the Canberra coach’s love for the game.

“We all see the ferocious competitor and the passion Ricky has, but that also comes with a genuine care for the game and for his players and his record is testament to his ability to get the most out of his teams,’’ V’landys said.

Originally published as NRL 2024: Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart set to sign four-year contract extension