Stuart shrugs off rumours as Raiders slump to fifth straight loss

Ricky Stuart’s Raiders have slumped to their fifth straight loss but the coach insists everything is fine and dandy in the nation’s capital.

The Raiders have been outscored 93-8 in the second halves of their last five games. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Besieged Canberra coach Ricky Stuart is adamant the rumours of discontent at the club are only gossip and the truth is he has a united team ready to fight its way out of a worrying five-game losing streak.

The Raiders equalled their worst run of defeats on Stuart’s seven-year watch after throwing away a 16-point advantage to go down 24-16 to Newcastle in Wagga Wagga on Saturday.

It was yet another second half collapse on the back of a week of drama over the playing future of English duo George Williams and Josh Hodgson and a social media spray directed at Stuart by the wife of interchange forward Joe Tapine.

But a grim-faced Stuart insisted: “They’re problems that you read, they’re not problems inside the camp.

“They’re problems that everyone enjoys reading and speculating on, but we’re a happy camp in regards to what you read.”

Told he looked subdued in the dressing-room, Stuart replied: “Did I? That’s good.

“I don’t get fired up over a bunch of blokes who are doing everything they possibly can to play their best to win a game of football.

“We will stick together and keep working hard to get through this rough patch.

“Things aren’t going for us at the moment. We’re just not getting that little bit of luck and bounce (of the ball) at the moment.

“We’ve got to persevere and stay strong.”

Kalyn Ponga orchestrated the Knights’ second-half comeback. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Newcastle entered the game with just one victory from their past six games and question marks over their character and will to win.

They responded exactly as coach Adam O’Brien hoped, but he cautioned against getting too carried away with the win.

“It’s hurts, definitely. They (the players) do care,” he said of the criticism.

“There was no shortage of people that had an opinion on what sort of character we have, and we brought that on ourselves.

“But this is only one game. It’s not going to go away (the question marks over character).

“There’s still a lot for us to get better at.”

The Knights meet Wests Tigers in next weekend’s Magic Round in Brisbane, with Canberra up against Canterbury.