Eels boss believes Stuart is committed to long haul despite link to Raiders Interim Parramatta chief executive Matt Phelan says he's unsurprised about speculation linking Ricky Stuart to Canberra but believes the coach is committed to rebuilding the Eels.
The Raiders are looking for a replacement for David Furner after his brother, boss Don Furner, informed him of the board's decision to sack him on Tuesday. Assistant Andrew Dunemann, a contender for the vacant North Queensland job, will coach the side for the remaining three games of the season.
However, Stuart has been linked to the post, despite being less than a season into his three-year deal with the blue and golds. Raiders chairman John McIntyre has reportedly stated that Stuart would one day return to the club he played for as a coach or administrator. Phelan, who has been in the post for a month after replacing Ken Edwards, was not surprised by the Raiders link.
''Ricky Stuart is a legend of that club," Phelan said. "He played for that club, won premierships for that club, is schooled and brought up in that area. So it's no surprise that Ricky's name will be linked back to Canberra, no question about it.
''Every time a club is looking for a head coach, [his] name comes up. He's the Parramatta head coach, he's contracted there. He's stressed that he sees this as a long-term opportunity at Parramatta and I'm sure he wants to see that through.''
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Topic: Eels believe Stuart is committed to them despite links to Raiders
