Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has taken aim at the Rugby League Players' Association (RLPA) following his side's narrow Round 1 loss to the Cowboys.
In humid conditions in North Queensland, the visitors overcame an 18-0 deficit to level the scores in the second-half, but a late Chad Townsend field-goal sealed their fate.
Canberra were forced to be without fullback Seb Kris for a crucial 15-minute period due to a head injury assesment, despite seemingly avoiding any high contact and being treated by trainers for a knee issue.
Speaking to the media after the game, Stuart took aim at the RLPA and NRL for the independent doctor process, which has already become a topic of discussion in the opening round of the season, while also questioning the scheduling of their Saturday afternoon game.
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“The RLPA and the NRL, they don’t trust coaches," he said.
"Do you think I would let a player play if he had a concussion or he was concussed? I don’t just trust the player’s comments when he comes to the sideline – he is down getting his leg attended to…he was very coherent.
"That didn’t help us in that game…the RLPA don’t trust coaches. All they want to do is come and talk to me about how much time off the players are going to get and how much more money.
"I didn’t hear anybody from the RLPA go at the NRL about trying to play up here at 4.30 in the afternoon.
"We were very lucky that it wasn’t the humidity of what it was yesterday, because I think it could have been dangerous for the players’ welfare."
Despite the loss, Stuart commended the Green Machine for the defensive resolve after withstanding the weight of possession being in the Cowboys' favour during the first-half.
“I know they’ve got the heart in them and the grit," he said.
"If we didn’t have to use so much juice in the first-half, we win that match. For the boys at half-time to still have that energy in their eyes, we were still very confident at half-time that we would finish off that next 40.
“That defence tonight, being game one of the year – we have had some great defensive moments and great defensive games over the years – tonight equals it.
"That was an unbelievable defensive effort…they scored two with kicks. The way we fought back, the boys have got a very proud coach and we’ve got a lot to work off."
Canberra will take on the Dolphins in Round 2, while the Cowboys will look to improve to 2-0 against heated rivals Brisbane.
