BY DAN

Roughly once a year Ricky Stuart does something that becomes controversial, confounds, or just doesn’t feel right. Weak-gutted dogs, skipping away 300s, Aidan Sezer at hooker, Ethan Strange centre. These are the moments where something happens and it just feels a bit *off*. Each of these is defensible, and defended, in Stick’s own way, with varying degrees of gumption and sense.

This week Ricky is potentially adding to the pile with the floating of the idea that his son, Jed Stuart, will play first grade this weekend. For some reason he is on standby for Albert Hopoate’s sore leg…knee…foot? It’s not clear. The Canberra Times has the report but not comment from the club. Bert’s in a moon boot. Stuart is named 18th man. Ipso facto, yada yada. Profit.

This could be an example of the the paper reading the team sheet and seeing a guy in a moon boot and nothing more. You can see how we get there. Stuart is named at 18th man by the club more out of acknowledgement of his efforts in Cup and training, evidence to the rest of the playing group that effort and professionalism is rewarded. The paper, in search of a yarn, speculate a bit. The club leans in and we get a story and a narrative that never actually eventuates. That would be an unsurprising outcome. Not the first not the last gear.

But if it is a decision that Stuart the Younger will replace Bert Hopoate this week, it is unquestionably controversial. Jed Stuart is not the third, fourth, or even fifth best winger at the Canberra Raiders. He is a solid NSW Cup winger. Has some errors in his game, can score a try. Gets through his yardage, is a mixed bag under targeted kicking. For a dude with his lanky body shape he can, surprisingly, do a passable impression of a second-rower. He often does the right thing, and despite being comparatively athletically challenged compared to most of his peers he is a productive player in reserve grade. But he has not stood out ahead of a host of other players.

There are many options that would make more sense ahead of him. Without changing the structure of existing 17, James Schiller and Nic Cotric would be obviously superior choices. Jordan Rapana could easily shift over to wing, allowing THE FUTURE OF THE CLUB (TM) Chevy Stewart to play another game or two in first grade this season. Adam Cook, two weeks ago preferred at five-eighth over Ethan Strange, could play at 6, Kaeo Weekes at fullback and Jordan Rapana at wing. But yet Stick seems intent on playing the sixth best winger at the club (seventh if Michael Asomua is healthy, which, dunno).

It’s hard to see the logic. If the priority is winning in the immediate then there are better options. If this is under the guise of building for the future then there are more important foundation pieces being overlooked. The best explanation is that Stuart is named 18th man for his ability to cover multiple spots on game day, a scenario likely needed in the event of his activation, and this is just speculation and happenstance by the paper. Either that, or a signal to the playing group about hard work or something. But I can’t shake the possibility this is designed to get Stuart a game, and to do so without the media in the lead-up that would surely follow.

For a team still with a theoretical possibility of playing finals to make this decision confusing. Winning should be the priority. Debuting a player like this against a hot Roosters side that has been scoring points for fun is a risk. Doing so in a do-or-die game is unfathomable. In the absence of articulated and defensible logic it will simply make Jed the lightening rod that Jake Arthur was before him. It won’t escape notice if Stuart is found out against Dom Fucking Young the buzzsaw that is the Roosters attack. That would be unfair on him in multiple ways.

It pushes the fan base into a corner. They are forced to choose between celebrating a player most of us agree has a tenuous claim to a first grade position, and bagging a young man living his dream. The virtual and real community spaces inhabited by rugby league will want to do little but hurl vitriol at Sticky, at Jed, at the club and the broader Raiders family. Is that a reason not to do it? No, but when there’s so many reasons to not to do it, this cherry on the top is unfortunate.

On the chance this occurs this should be one of the happiest moments of the young Stuart’s career. But because of where he is in the depth chart, the club’s circumstances and his father’s relationship with the wider rugby league community it will be controversial. Unfortunately for us this is the Canberra Raiders, and well, here we are. This is the problem we live with. Apparently more than once a year.

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Feature image courtesy of the Cairns Post