Jed Stuart, son of Ricky Stuart, reveals emotional moment that left Raiders coach in tears ahead of NRL debut

Ricky Stuart made one of his Raiders players tell his son he’d be making his NRL debut, perhaps knowing his emotions would get the better of him. When the father and son eventually came face-to-face, the coach couldn’t hold back the tears.

Jed Stuart’s rugby league dream became reality during a massage session.

Resting his face in the table’s cradle, his thoughts raced with emotion.

“I was kind of in shock. I was excited, nervous, all of that,’’ Stuart said.

Only moments earlier, Raiders captain Joe Tapine – no, not his father and Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart – had phoned him with the news that Stuart, 23, was making his NRL debut on the wing against the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on Friday night.

Stuart had been in the video room cutting vision of his recent games at the Raiders HQ last Sunday when Tapine’s number appeared on his phone.

“Taps (Tapine) gave me the news and so I quickly rang Mum (Kaylie) and she was on the fourth hole playing golf,’’ Stuart said.

Jed Stuart is set to make his NRL debut on Friday. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

“So immediately she started crying and then I quickly had to go and get on the massage table and stare at the floor for the next 45 minutes.’’

Stuart remembers nothing of the massage.

Instead, his eyes flickered like a video reel, changing and stopping at the people, places and realisation of how on earth, he had just been told by the Canberra captain that, alongside being the son of a Raiders legend, the brother to his best mate Jackson and beautiful sister Emma, that for the rest of his life, he will always be Raider number 404.

On the table, he remembered when he was five or six, he’d play backyard footy with his siblings, while wearing a Batman outfit.

Ricky Stuart playing with sons Jed and Jackson in 2005. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Stuart’s mind flashed to those early years too, when the family would drive from Sydney to Canberra – when Ricky was coaching the Sharks in 2007 – to visit his beloved grandparents, Jackie and Les.

Jackson and Stuart would sprint through the front door, grab the box of videos labelled with all of Stuart’s greatest games, leap onto the lounge and press play.

“We’d watch all his (Stuart) Origin games and the famous Test match (in 1990). I still remember watching the try Dad set up for Mal Meninga with Jack for the first time,’’ Stuart said.

Ricky Stuart with his boys.

Ricky Stuart and the boys at a Kangaroos game.

Lying on the table, Stuart also remembered the career-defining dinner with Ben Fordham, the 2GB breakfast radio host and dear family friend.

So pivotal was the dinner that when Fordham learned of Stuart’s debut this week, he jokingly sent Ricky a text message suggesting he deserved a commission.

Having played both rugby league and rugby union as a junior, Stuart’s strapping 193cm size and speed had impressed Australian Rugby Sevens scouts in 2021, leading to his three Test caps for his country.

Jed Stuart (middle).

But just a few months later, Stuart was let go. He found himself at a crossroads.

“I went and saw Ben Fordham and had dinner with his family and he said, ‘mate would you rather be playing for Australia Sevens, or would you rather be playing State of Origin?’,’’ Stuart said.

“It was State of Origin, for sure.

“I went back to rugby league with the Queanbeyan Whites and did a couple of training sessions, and I was still in the ACT Brumbies (rugby union) academy, when my old man (Ricky) asked if I wanted to come and play under-20s.

Jed Stuart.

“It was hard to leave the Brumbies academy and they said I could come back if it didn’t work out.

“I then went and put all my eggs into the rugby league basket.

“I did that and just kept going.’’

Stuart went all-in.

He bulked-up from 89kg on his first day at Raiders training as a 20-year-old to be 95kg when he runs out on Friday.

From 57 NSW Cup games and 22 tries, Stuart has earned his NRL spot through perseverance and also the trust from Raiders leaders Hudson Young and Tapine, who convinced a protective Ricky to let his boy play in the big time.

If anything, Stuart has had to wait longer than others to earn his debut.

Jed Stuart played 57 games in the NSW Cup. Picture: NRL Photos

The Raiders coaching staff and players have been telling Ricky to pick his son for months. Remembering, Stuart was the Raiders 18th man in round one in Las Vegas.

Yet Ricky won’t apologise for holding his son back, forthright in his determination to eliminate any added pressure or expectation over his selection.

“I don’t think so,’’ Stuart said, when asked if he felt extra pressure due to his famous surname.

“It’s such a weird one. Everyone always asks me and I don’t think there is because I don’t know any difference.

“Everyone has pressure on their debut I would assume, so it’s no different to me really.

“More than anything, I just want to make my teammates proud.

“It’s a big privilege and I’m grateful to be able to play with Papa (Josh Papalii) and Taps who have been so good throughout their careers.

Friday’s NRL debut has been a long time coming for Jed Stuart. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

“I want to do all the little things right and all the hard efforts for them.

“As for Dad, we don’t really talk too much footy at home, but when we do it’s normally when I ask a question or I want to see some footage.

“He never really brings it up, which keep home as home, and footy at footy.’’

When Stuart’s 45-minutes was up, he climbed off the massage table and took the stairs inside the Raiders HQ to find the face of the one person that he’d just spent more time imagining than anyone else.

“I walked into Dad’s office and saw him,’’ Stuart said.

“He started to say congratulations, but then he just started crying.

“I took over the conversation for him. I thanked him for the opportunity. It’s special that we get to share this together.

“I’m going to work hard to make sure I do him, my family and my teammates proud.’’