Penrith players break their silence on Ricky Stuart’s outrageous ‘weak-gutted dog’ insult against their teammate – as it’s revealed Raiders boss has refused to stand down from coaching
- Jaeman Salmon was left ‘rattled’ after the ‘weak-gutted dog’ spray from Stuart
- Panthers players Mitch Kenny and Sean O’Sullivan have spoken out in support
- The Raiders coach has since been fined $25,000 and suspended for one game
Panthers players have finally broken their silence after their teammate Jaeman Salmon was labelled a ‘weak-gutted dog’ by Raiders coach Ricky Stuart – with one saying he was ‘shocked’ at the outrageous spray.
Stuart has been fined $25,000 and suspended for one match by the NRL for his unprecedented spray at Salmon during the post-match press conference after Canberra’s loss to Penrith on Saturday night.
The shocking rant was condemned by many in the footy world, with the ‘weak-gutted dog’ insult directed at the Panthers half after he was appeared to kick Raiders hooker Tom Starling in the groin during a tackle.
It reportedly stemmed from an incident between Salmon and Stuart’s son Jackson at a junior rugby league game 12 years ago.
Panthers star Jaeman Salmon was left ‘rattled’ after being on the end of a withering spray from Ricky Stuart
Salmon’s teammates finally broke their silence over the extraordinary rant today, with halves partner Sean O’Sullivan admitting his close mate was ‘rattled’ by the comments.
‘It’s never nice to see someone saying anything about you, and obviously with social media these days, it’s not just one comment. There are thousands of people online,’ he said.
‘He’s fine and he understands that he can’t let external influences dictate how he feels.
‘He’s someone we value at the club and he’s friends with every single person in this organisation. I can’t speak highly enough of Jaeman,’ said O’Sullivan.
Sean O’Sullivan has come out in defence of his teammate after Stuart’s explosive remarks
Another close friend of Salmon, hooker Mitch Kenny, expressed his disbelief at Stuart’s comments, and said the whole club was getting around him.
‘It was a little bit of shock at first. I thought someone was having a bit of a joke,’ he said.
‘It’s a bit disappointing, those comments. We know who Jaeman is, Jaeman knows who he is, and so does his family, so we try to not let that affect him too much. We’ll all be supporting him through this time and we’ll move forward as a club.’
Mitch Kenny (player being tackled during Saturday night’s game) said he was ‘shocked’ at Stuart’s unbelievable rant at his teammate
The NRL officially handed its punishment down to Stuart during a press conference , with CEO Andrew Abdo condemning the remarks.
‘Leaders need to set the standard in the game. The comments are completely unacceptable from any individual let alone an official of such experience and standing,’ he said at the press conference.
Abdo also confirmed Stuart will not be able to have any contact with the club until 4pm on Tuesday, August 16, in addition to his one-match suspension.
Canberra CEO David Furner confirmed that the club approached Stuart to see if he wanted to take an extended break from the club, but the answer was a firm no.
Ricky Stuart has been fined $25,000 and is suspended for one match after his explosive press conference on Saturday
‘In all workplaces like ours, people come under stress and no one more so than the head coach,’ Furner told Channel 9 on Monday.
‘We had that discussion last night. Our support will be there for him and if he needs time away we’ll certainly allow him to take that time.’
Given the club face the Dragons this weekend and sit just outside the top eight, the match has huge ramifications.
Stuart’s absence will no doubt be keenly felt by the men in green, and it remains to be seen if his outburst will cost Canberra a spot in the finals.