1. Ricky John "Sticky" Stuart was born on 7 January 1967 and is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of Canberra in the National Rugby League and a former rugby league footballer who played as a halfback in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Ricky Stuart replaced Craig Bellamy as head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series.
At club level, Ricky Stuart was the half-back of the "Green Machine", the Canberra Raiders team who were coached by Tim Sheens and won three premierships in 1989,1990 and 1994, besides being runners-up in 1991.
Ricky Stuart was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia.
Ricky Stuart originally played rugby league as a child, but took up rugby union while attending St Edmund's College, Canberra.
Ricky Stuart was selected for the ACT Schoolboys in 1984, and attracted press attention the following season for a dominant display for his school in the Waratah Shield final.
Ricky Stuart played three tour matches but no Test matches, in both the Fly-half and Scrum-half positions.
Always interested in converting to rugby league, Ricky Stuart was initially chased by Balmain, who had a weakness in the halves at the time.
Ricky Stuart received offers from reigning premiers Manly and the newly formed Newcastle club.
Once promoted to first grade, Ricky Stuart immediately stamped himself as a player of genuine class, and by the end of 1988 was earmarked for representative honours.
Ricky Stuart soon became a key factor behind the club's most successful period in the late 1980s and 1990s, playing halfback inside a backline including legendary talents Laurie Daley, Mal Meninga and Gary Belcher.
Ricky Stuart then won the Clive Churchill Medal in the Raiders' 1990 grand final victory over Penrith, and had become a certainty to tour with the Kangaroos.
Ricky Stuart debuted in the first test of the 1990 Kangaroo tour against Great Britain in London in October 1990, playing five-eighth outside Allan Langer.
Ricky Stuart replaced Langer at halfback in last two Tests, with Australia winning both.
Ricky Stuart managed despite this handicap to play 24 of 26 club games for the Raiders, and all three Origin games for the Blues.
However, upon returning Ricky Stuart played in his finest form yet, leading the Raiders to a sequence of thirteen wins and a draw in fifteen games from Rounds 7 to 21, besides helping New South Wales to another Origin triumph with a third Man of the Match in the first game.
Ricky Stuart nonetheless won the 1993 Dally M Medal for the Winfield Cup's Player of the Year, and won the Rothmans Medal with a vote total then beaten only by Mick Cronin in 1978.
Ricky Stuart worked intensively to recover over the ensuing summer, and was fit for the start of the 1994 season.
However, on the 1994 Kangaroo Tour Ricky Stuart did take over from Langer after the Kangaroos lost the First Test and led Australia to three Test victories.
Ricky Stuart was never in any doubt about Super League, despite strong counter-offers by the ARL outside of the Roosters.
At the height of the conflict, Ricky Stuart's asking price rose from $700,000 to $2,500,000 during one day, as he became the public face of Super League.
In 1996 Ricky Stuart initially refused to play in the ARL competition when the Federal Court ordered Super League-loyal clubs to play there.
The Court then forbade the commencement of any rival league, with the result that Ricky Stuart said he would rather play in England's new summer season than with the ARL.
Ricky Stuart would have his season ended by a knee injury after two games.
Ricky Stuart retired as a player in 2000 after failing to recover from a recurring knee injury.
Ricky Stuart had played a total of 243 first-grade games for the Raiders and Bulldogs since 1988.
Ricky Stuart began his first grade coaching career in 2002 with the Sydney Roosters, taking over from Graham Murray and winning the premiership in his first year as coach.
The 2004 Ricky Stuart-coached Roosters side was beaten in the Grand Final, but the team struggled in 2005 and 2006.
Ricky Stuart's contract was terminated and he left the Roosters two weeks before the end of the 2006 season.
On 19 July 2010, Ricky Stuart resigned as Cronulla-Sutherland coach six weeks before the end of the 2010 season.
Ricky Stuart said that he decided to leave Cronulla after he felt that he no longer had the support of his players.
Ricky Stuart leaving the club ended yet another tenure prematurely and at loggerheads with club executives, members and players, with Cronulla appointing Shane Flanagan as his replacement.
Ricky Stuart signed a lucrative three-year contract with the Parramatta Eels, beginning in 2013.
The Eels had in recent years been perennial underachievers, with Ricky Stuart set the unenviable task of resurrecting the Eels after they finished last in 2012.
In June 2013, Ricky Stuart infamously told twelve Parramatta players via an overhead projector that their services were no longer required beyond the 2013 season.
On 11 September 2013, Ricky Stuart announced that he was quitting Parramatta to join Canberra as head coach on a three-year contract to continue his coaching career.
The day after he announced his moved Ricky Stuart spoke at Parramatta's presentation night saying:.
Ricky Stuart took up the head coach position of Canberra on a three-year deal in 2014.
Ricky Stuart was later fined $10,000 by the NRL for his post match comments.
In 2016, Ricky Stuart coached Canberra to a second-placed finish at the end of the regular season.
In July 2018 after a match against Cronulla in which a refereeing mistake leading to a try cost the Raiders the game, Ricky Stuart demanded that the NRL overhaul the bunker system responsible for reviewing potential tries.
Ricky Stuart was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn't changed now.
On 9 August 2022, Ricky Stuart was fined $25,000 and suspended for one match from the NRL over his comments towards Salmon.
In 2024, Ricky Stuart coached his 250th game for Canberra against the New Zealand Warriors.
Ricky Stuart coached well, but the way they cheated with hands on the ball [in tackles], the way they cheated on the ground.
Ricky Stuart said this in relation to Des Hasler stating that the referees were unfavourable towards the Gold Coast.
In 2005, Ricky Stuart was appointed coach of the New South Wales.
On 17 November 2010, Ricky Stuart was appointed as the state's first full-time coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team for two years.
Ricky Stuart coached the Blues for the 2011 series, which was lost to the Maroons by two games to one.
Ricky Stuart continued in the NSW head coaching role for the 2012 series, which was lost by two games to one.
Shortly after signing on as Parramatta Eels coach for the 2013 season onwards, Ricky Stuart resigned from his role as NSW coach.
Ricky Stuart enjoyed success with the Kangaroos: winning the Anzac Tests of 2006 and 2007, as well as the 2006 Tri-Nations.
Ricky Stuart is reported to have verbally abused both officials in front of a number of witnesses, calling Klein a cheat, and of being physically and aggressively intimidating.
Ricky Stuart was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, for.