Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has explained why former Wallabies coach and radio broadcaster Alan Jones was seated in his coaches box at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
NRL commentators and fans were left perplexed as images of Alan Jones in the Raiders’ dressing room and coaches box were beamed across the country on Fox League.
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The 82-year-old could also be seen cheering along as the Raiders overcame a final five minutes of madness to defeat the Bulldogs in a 34-30 thriller at Magic Round.
Asked in the post-match press conference why Jones was making a guest appearance in the Raiders’ inner sanctum, Stuart lit up with a smile across his face as he explained how it all unfolded.
“Alan texted me yesterday said he’s doing a lunch up here (in Brisbane) today and he said ‘I’d love to come along to support you,’” Stuart said.
“So I rang him up and said, ‘mate that’d be great, I’ll get you some corporate tickets if you’d like to come along,’ and he said ‘no, no, shit no, I’m with you blokes. I don’t want to be in corporate (seats), I’d rather be sitting on my lounge chair at home’.
“And I said, ‘oh great, well sit up in the (coach’s) box’.
The Raiders coach explained that Jones had been a “very special part” of his life and that to have him by his side on Friday night “was wonderful”.
“Yeah we had a bit of a chat to the boys after the game and I explained to the guys yesterday that Alan was going to come in, what he’s done in my life, that’s only a small repayment,” Stuart said.
“He’s a special person to me and many, many people.”
Alan Jones told The Daily Telegraph he had a “very enjoyable” outing at the Raiders match.
“I have known Ricky for a long-time. It was an opportunity to come out and see the boys,” Jones said.
“I watch Canberra on the television each week but that was something special. They have a bit of momentum and they will do well.”
While Stuart didn’t delve into his relationship with Jones in his post-match presser, The Sydney Morning Herald reports Stuart’s respect and adoration for the broadcasting great dates back 38 years.
The paper reports the pair met when Stuart was an aspiring rugby union player and Jones was coaching the Wallabies in the 1980s.
Stuart said Jones looked out for him in a mentoring capacity in those early years, before he essentially saved his life in 1998 when Stuart collapsed three times at training while playing for the Raiders.
Stuart’s friend and now Raiders chief executive Don Furner reportedly called Jones at the time due to his concerns for Stuart’s health, a concern that wasn’t shared by doctors at Canberra Hospital who had sent him home.
“Turns out I had encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain,” Stuart said, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“If it wasn’t for Alan. Honestly. He organised for Kerry Packer to supply his private jet and get it to Canberra immediately to fly me to St Vincent’s Hospital (in Sydney).
“I was gone. I was very ill. If I didn’t get to St Vincent’s, I don’t know what the outcome would have been.
“Donny saw the situation and how ill I was. I went to Canberra Hospital three times and got sent home three times. My body was failing.”
