Ricky Stuart has staunchly defended Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes after an indifferent performance in a loss to the Cowboys, while admitting his team “need to be better”.
The 23-year-old was targeted with towering Daly Cherry-Evans’ bombs in Round 3 before North Queensland halfback leapt over him to score in Townsville.
Weekes also recorded a pair of errors in his side’s defeat, but ran for 125 metres as well as breaking three tackles and the defensive line once.
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Stuart was asked how he was planning on instilling confidence back into his young fullback, who joined Canberra from Manly ahead of the 2024 season.
“It’s hard for ‘K’… he gets there and you can’t just leap, because it’s basically landing on his head, it’s a good kick,” Stuart said.
“We scored one the same, that player that comes through with the momentum has all the advantage, it was a great catch great try, they both were, the one we scored to.
“Unless you are six foot two, someone like Tommy Trbojevic or something like that it gives you a bit more of a shot at it.
“Kaeo is a very talented football player mate, I have no dramas with ‘K’ there. If there’s a fullback out there that hasn’t spilt a ball or had a try scored like that over them, I don’t know them.
“So all he needs to know…. is that he has the coach’s confidence, and I know he has the support of the whole group. There’s no dramas there.”
But overall, it was the Raiders’ attack that Stuart was most disappointed with, failing to capitalise on several scoring opportunities.
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One such chance was a Xavier Savage break, throwing a dummy instead of passing on the Owen Pattie who had a clear run to the line.
“I thought out attack was poor tonight,” Stuart said.
“It was, it was very clunky and there’s players who have got more responsibility than others in attack and that’s the way it is.
“But we will deal with that, but I’m not a coach who is going to throw any of my players under the bus, we will deal with that as a group and hope we can keep improving.
“Again they (did) a good job, they stretched us a couple of times… we need to be better.”
Stuart was also asked who he believed were the Raiders’ best performers.
“They know mate, more important I reckon the blokes I’m not impressed with know as well,” he quipped.
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