DANE ELDRIDGE: If Ricky Stuart coached a Sydney NRL team he might not last as long as he has at Raiders

It’d take something major to snap the love affair between Ricky Stuart and the Raiders, especially after 12 years surviving each other’s hormonal roller coaster.

But after cementing Canberra as a top four powerhouse in recent times, three losses in the first four rounds of 2026 has the usual questions surfacing again:

Is Stuart under pressure? If Canberra was in Sydney, would the media be up his nose with a flashlight?

Why does scrutiny in rugby league not extend down the Hume Highway?

And has he taken this playing group as far as he can, or are claims of The Milk expiring greatly exaggerated?

The Green Machine slumped to a 1-3 record following Sunday’s 34-22 loss to Cronulla at Canberra Stadium, a classic madcap Raiders defeat the coach condemned as “self destruction”.

Featuring fluctuations, sporadic brilliance and brain fart sin bins in front of a heaving home crowd on a sun drenched afternoon, the loss was more “Raiders” than Terry Campese in a bathtub full of milk.

Trailing at one stage by 12-0 and roaring back to level at 22-22, the home side’s failure to complete the comeback suddenly colours this Sunday’s road trip to a resurgent Newcastle with an unlikely hue of desperation.

Stuart deserves credit for transforming Canberra to a destination club, but there’s no use attracting bees if they’re not gonna make honey either.

Yes, it’s only round four and yes, Stuart has runs on the board after winning last year’s minor premiership.

But after blowing pole position by bowing out in straight sets, there is only one result this year that will earn a pass mark- transforming that JJ Giltinan to a Provan Summons.

But performances like Sunday won’t deliver anything except a stress rash.

No longer the quintessential plucky-yet-harmless battler, last year has raised expectations for the Raiders and confirmed they are smack-bang in a title window where it’s trophy or bust.

But while losses like Sunday’s are not uncommon for a bonfire team like Canberra, the difference last year was their ability to overcome themselves despite still playing at times like a cut snake.

Thus far this year the woes have existed in offense where forward domination is being squandered by an attack that is as disjointed as its totally sketch.

Whether this all stems from growing pains around new halfback Ethan Sanders, second year syndrome for Ethan Strange or just the fact it’s Canberra, the buck stops with the coach.

And while Raiders fans by-and-large worship Stuart like a wartime leader - especially after creating a neglected siege bubble around the club like it’s the NRL’s Little Tehran - they are also entitled to ask if he should escape scrutiny simply because he holds titles as Raider royalty.

These questions are even more pertinent considering the terrific squad Stuart has built and the depth of talent at his disposal.

Canberra have traditionally been forced to make wine from water on the player market, with the region’s unforgiving climate, lack of red carpet glamour and total dearth of beachside bars offering scant appeal to the self-respecting free agent.

But after years punching above their weight with nothing more than psycho forwards and a siege mentality, nowadays the Raiders list is one of the more enviable in the league.

With an electric back five lead by Kaeo Weekes and a nightmarish forward pack of beastly bookends like Joseph Tapine and Hudson Young, it’s a Canberra side nothing like the days when it was 85% farm boys.

Stuart deserves credit for transforming Canberra to a destination club, but there’s no use attracting bees if they’re not gonna make honey either.

But let’s get fair dinkum; we all know Stuart and Canberra won’t be consciously uncoupling anytime soon.

Not just because he’s more “Canberra” than a giant roundabout, but also because the Raiders are nothing like a regular rugby league club because they administer their affairs with stability and dignity.

If the Raiders were based in the Sydney fishbowl, Stuart would’ve been axed long ago on results, or easier, HR law.

A man so combustible he could pick a fight with a stadium - and an old fragile one at that - Stuart would be a magnet in Sydney where the press farm controversy for fun.

But because the club lives in the Canberra bubble immune from hyenas, CEO Don Furner has let him cook and now he’s got a top four team.

Canberra are the example to an impatient competition slowly resembling American sports and English soccer by becoming increasingly comfortable with sacking coaches with all the premeditation of a sneeze.

But while love is blind, the price of stability can be a lack of accountability- even if saving a motza on contract payouts.