It isn't often that when a game has ended, the injury toll includes a coach; however, Thursday night showed that the current NRL injury crisis does not discriminate.
Although his team successfully secured a hard-fought 14-10 win, the Bulldogs coach was ultimately defeated by the poor state of GIO Stadium.
“We tried to open the window, and the whole window smashed on us,” he said.
“Glass all over us…I'll get a couple of stitches now.
“If I can add my two cents, it's a great place to play, it's a great atmosphere.
“But it deserves an upgrade; you can't have stuff like that happening.”
Ricky Stuart knows all too well the current status of his home ground, making sure people know he isn't impressed.
“Come into our change room, I thought it was raining in there,” Stuart responded sarcastically when told of the Ciraldo incident.
“It's no good whingeing about it, because the people you've got to whinge to don't give a sh**.
“People who make decisions about our stadium don't care about the stadium, they don't care about the nation's capital having a sh**house stadium that we have.
“That's why I don't whinge about it, we just do what we've got to do, because they don't care.”
Criticism of the Green Machines' home ground is not new, with it being dubbed the ‘stinky stadium' in 2024 after a foul, sewage-like or ‘rotten egg' smell wafted through the air.
GIO Stadium was built in 1997 and has not had significant developments since 1997, ahead of the 2000 Olympic Games.
With the NRL and Australian Government beginning to invest their money in new franchises and international expansion, many are urging them not to leave behind their current teams and give GIO the TLC it deserves.
Maybe Ricky's stance on the sideline is less about tactics; maybe he's just found the only safe space in the stadium.
