Andrew Voss believes the Canberra Raiders must reprimand Ricky Stuart after his “weak gutted dog” comments on the weekend.
The Raiders coach directed the slur at Penrith’s Jaeman Salmon following an incident involving Canberra’s Tom Starling in the second half of the Panthers’ 26-6 win on Saturday night.
In his post-match press conference, Stuart was asked about the incident which clearly enraged the Canberra coach.
“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well,” Stuart said.
“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”
While Stuart has since issued a public apology where he referenced a historical incident between his family and Salmon, Voss believes that’s not where the fallout should stop.
Although Stuart can expect some sort of reprimand from the NRL, Voss believes Canberra themselves should “take a stand” and suspend Stuart down for the remainder of the 2022 season.
“Can I say for the record, because we do have to take a stand - I believe Ricky Stuart should be suspended for the rest of the year,” Voss said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“I think the Raiders should stand him down and say, ‘Ricky, it’s been a long year, I cannot excuse what happened, you can have the rest of the season off’.
“You’ve got to take a stand. It can’t be a fine for this sort of behaviour. It cannot be a fine.
“There may be a fine with it, but it’s got to be something else.”
Despite the loss, Canberra is still in the midst of a finals race with four games remaining as they sit in ninth position and one win outside of the top eight.
The Raiders are every chance to feature in the finals as they face bottom-eight sides the Dragons, Knights, Sea Eagles and Tigers on the run home.