Rugby league legend Cameron Smith was shocked by Ricky Stuart's “weak gutted dog” comments directed at Penrith’s Jaeman Salmon post-Canberra’s loss to Penrith on Saturday.
With those words dominating rugby league’s headlines for the following days, Smith says that he’s never heard a coach attack a player so viciously in a press conference.
“I was shocked like I think most of us were when we heard those comments from Ricky post-match,” Smith said on SENQ’s Pat and Heals.
“We’ve never heard comments like that before and I know coaches often show a lot of emotion in those post-match forums about results and the officials … but never about a player on an opposing team.
“I was really shocked, he got it wrong, he got it completely wrong.
“He admitted that, he said as much as that he did the wrong thing.”
In the wake of the tirade, Stuart was suspended for one game and fined $25,000, a punishment Smith feels was less than what he was expecting from the NRL.
“One match, it’s one week,” Smith said.
“He’s not allowed to be at the club or have any interaction with the players so it’s not just one game, it’s one week.
“I think that needed to come, but I actually thought the NRL would’ve been a bit stronger than that.
“I thought they would’ve gone with maybe a minimum of two weeks.
“It’s one and a fine but let’s hope we don’t see any coach going down that path again.”
Stuart will return to the club following Canberra’s clash with St George Illawarra and will next coach in Round 23 when his side heads to Newcastle to face the Knights.