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Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has signed an NRL contract extension which will see him coach the Raiders for a decade.
Ricky Stuart is set to become Canberra's longest-serving NRL coach after he signed a three-year extension keeping him in the nation's capital until the end of the 2023 campaign.
Stuart arrived at the Raiders in 2014 and has taken the Green Machine to two top-four finishes in six seasons, but they also missed finals four times.
The former Canberra player was backed by the club despite a slow start to the 2017 season and was re-signed that year until the end of 2020.
The 2018 season proved another tough one but Stuart repaid the faith in 2019 and has led an impressive turnaround, taking the Green Machine from 10th to fourth on the ladder.
Stuart made defence the priority in 2019 and transformed their points conceded tally from 12th in the competition to third, in the space of 12 months.
"My passion and enthusiasm for the club is 24 hours a day and seven days a week," Stuart said.
"I'm like the fan who sits out there and braves the cold, I want to win on the weekend and I want to win the competition as much as they do.
"I can assure you every waking moment is about delivering that promise one day.
"I'm overwhelmed with the development of the club, I think we're really growing and that's something that's very important to me.
"We've got a very humble mob, we work very hard and have one another's back."
The revival has made the Raiders title contenders again and they'll face the Storm in Melbourne in a qualifying final on Saturday.
Canberra's form has also put Stuart in the conversation for Dally M coach of the year honours.
The contract extension means Stuart will coach Canberra for a decade which will eclipse the tenure of Tim Sheens, who guided the club to three premierships between 1989 and 1994 when Stuart was the club's halfback.
Stuart has coached 391 NRL games with other stints at Sydney Roosters, Cronulla and Parramatta. He has also previously coached Australia and New South Wales.
