NRL legend Willie Mason spots ‘petty’ two-word sign in Raiders sheds

An NRL legend has spotted a ‘petty’ two-word sign in the Raiders sheds - and he says it’s the perfect example of Ricky Stuart’s mastery.

Warning: This article contains language some readers may find offensive

NRL legend Willie Mason has been left both stunned and impressed by a brutal two-word message spotted in the Canberra Raiders dressing room after their against-all-odds Round 1 victory over the Knights last Thursday night.

The former Clive Churchill medallist was discussing the Raiders’ 28-12 victory at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on his Levels podcast with former NRL player Justin Horo when the pair mentioned they’d spotted a motivational dressing room sign featuring official Raiders branding which read simply: “F**k Em”.

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“They toughed it out, they were just typical Canberra, they go up there with their siege mentality,” Mason said.

“Ricky Stuart, you see what he had (written in the dressing room) - ‘f**k em’ - who has that in their dressing room?”

“Ricky Stuart does that’s who does, Ricky Stuart – that is so petty.”

A brutal two word sign was spotted in the Raiders sheds after their win over the Knights. Pic: Instagram/Raiders

Justin Horo (L) and Willie Mason were loving the ‘petty’ sign. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

With the Raiders predicted by many experts to struggle with the loss of star five-eighth Jack Wighton and finish in the bottom four of the NRL ladder this season, Mason said the message was a great indicator of the mentality coach Ricky Stuart drives into his players.

“I know Ricky Stuart’s mentality and I love it and it’s hilarious how he is but that’s their mentality, that’s their DNA Canberra,” Mason said.

“F**K Em, everyone hates us, it’s us against the world and he drives that culture with those guys, you see it when they get out there.”

Horo, who played 120 NRL games for the Eels and Manly, was convinced Stuart had intentionally placed the sign in view of cameras in the dressing room so the message would get out.

“It’s petty, it’s simplistic, it looked like he designed it himself. He should’ve got (content creator) Sezer’s Palace or something to at least do something a little more creative, it was so f**kin simple and he really wanted people to see it too,” Horo said.

“Everyone knows when you walk into a shed (as a player) you look for the camera, because you wanna be aware of where the camera is… they’ve put it on top of someone’s locker, specifically right in front of the camera.”

Ricky Stuart is big on instilling a backs-against-the-wall mentality for the Raiders. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Willie Mason is a huge fan of Stuart’s coaching style. Picture: Damian Shaw

Mason played 290 NRL games across stints with the Bulldogs, Roosters, Cowboys, Knights and Sea Eagles has long been an admirer of Stuart’s unique and passionate coaching style.

In 2004 he said Stuart played a huge part in turning his career around as he weighed up quitting the NRL altogether.

“He told me he wanted to throw me a lifeline into rep footy. At that point I was really thinking I was going to play rugby. I kept hearing that I’d never play for Australia again,” Mason said at the time.

“When I missed the Australian side it was a real kick in the guts. People were saying that I was a rapist and a druggie. It was a bad time.

“Ricky told me that I was on the edge of going out backwards because my image was so bad.

“He told me people were sick of seeing my ugly head on television and hearing things come out of my mouth.”

Meanwhile, Stuart is no stranger to using unique signs and posters in his dressing rooms to drive home a message to his players.

Ricky Stuart has had posters of Raiders legends plastered on the dressing room wall in recent years. Pic: Fox Sports

In 2016 it was noted his Raiders rooms were looking like a shrine to the Raiders’ impressive history, with posters of club greats such as Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley plastered all over the walls on game days.

“A lot of guys aren’t from Canberra, so we don’t necessarily understand the club’s past,” five-eighth Blake Austin told News Corp at the time.

“But Ricky said we don’t have to be from Canberra for Canberra to love and adore us.

“It’s about understanding what a proud club the Raiders have been because a lot of us are not too old.

“In our change room on game day we have plenty of posters and in our dressing room at training also.

“Obviously he is a big part of our history and from talking to him you can tell he has got a lot of respect for the blokes that have come before us in the club.”

The Raiders will face the Wests Tigers at Canberra’s GIO Stadium at 3pm on Saturday.