- Ricky Stuart denied having any animosity towards Des Hasler
- Coaches were at odds after recent NRL game
- The friendship dates back to the game’s heyday in the early 1990s.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has rejected suggestions of a dispute with Titans counterpart Des Hasler following their ugly confrontation outside the dressing room in Canberra on April 14.
The Canberra great, 57, and Hasler, 63, traded barbs after the Raiders’ controversial 21-20 win in which Kieran Foran’s Titans field goal attempt was smothered by an offside by Chevy Stewart, but no penalty was wasted.
Stuart declared Hasler was “on another planet” after the Titans mentor criticized Kasey Badger’s officiating in the postgame press conference.
Stuart hit back, accusing the Titans of “cheating” by fighting his players to stop the ruck, and several witnesses later confirmed that the fired-up Raiders coach told Hasler “fuck you” as tensions threatened to boil over.
It comes despite the pair having an apparently long-standing friendship, playing for the NSW Blues in the halves of their must-win State of Origin II match in Melbourne in 1990.
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has rejected suggestions of a dispute with his Gold Coast Titans counterpart Des Hasler.
Stuart declared Hasler was “on another planet” after the Titans mentor criticized Kasey Badger’s officiating in the postgame press conference on April 14.
Raiders players celebrate a Jamal Fogarty field goal that sealed a 21-20 victory over the winless Titans.
Following that Origin performance, both Stuart and Hasler were cast for the 1990 Kangaroos tour of Britain and France.
Speaking ahead of the Raiders’ clash with the Broncos this weekend, Stuart stated that he has no animosity towards Hasler, whose team remains winless in 2024.
“There’s no problem between us,” Stuart said. News Corporation.
‘Des and I know what happened and it’s up to the others to speculate. I can’t change that.
“Look, we were just two men looking after our own football teams and that’s it.
‘I’ve known Des for a long time. He was done between us and we moved on.’
Hasler joked Friday that his disagreement with Stuart was “the greatest joy of all time, we played them.” [reporters] of a rest.