It wasn't until he got a phone call from good mate and Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy that Ricky Stuart found out it was his 400th NRL game in charge.
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The Canberra Raiders mentor travelled back in time to show his appreciation for the opportunity Sydney Roosters supremo Nick Politis and then Roosters coaching director Phil Gould gave him.
Since that gig, where he took over the Roosters ahead of the 2002 season, he's coached one premiership, 399 NRL games at the Roosters, Cronulla, Parramatta and the Green Machine, the NSW Blues for nine State of Origins and 14 Tests in charge of Australia in 19 seasons.
And the shape he has the Raiders in, it's not going to stop there as they look to bounce back from defeat when they take on the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday.
"I didn't know until two days ago. Craig Bellamy called me and actually told me. I wasn't aware of it and it's come as a bit of a surprise," Stuart said.
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"You look back on it and I certainly look at one thing, and appreciate the opportunity that Nick Politis and Phil Gould gave me at the Roosters many, many years ago.
"Fortunately, I've had a bit of longevity in the game as coach and it's something I take very personally and enjoy doing."
Along with learning from Gould, Stuart learnt a lot from one of his own coaches back when he was one of the best halfbacks in rugby league.
Tim Sheens guided the Raiders to all three of their premierships between 1989-1994, before going on to add another one at the Tigers in 2005.
Sheens gave Stuart his Raiders debut in 1988 ahead of the pair helping the Green Machine claim the title the following year.
"A lot of the coaches as I had as a player - Tim Sheens has had a massive handprint on me as a football player with the Canberra Raiders," Stuart said.
"And then the opportunity to work at the Roosters with Phil Gould was for me a massive influence on my early stages as a coach.
"It was the assistance that I needed being quite a young coach."
NRL ROUND FIVE
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on Fox League.
Raiders team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Jarrod Croker (C) 4. Curtis Scott 5. Nick Cotric 6. Jack Wighton 7. George Williams 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson (C) 10. Dunamis Lui 11. Joe Tapine 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Corey Horsburgh 14. Siliva Havili 15. Emre Guler 16. Sia Soliola 17. Jordan Rapana 18. Tom Starling 19. Matt Frawley 20. Ryan Sutton 21. Michael Oldfield.
Wests Tigers team: 1. Adam Doueihi 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Joey Leilua 4. Moses Mbye 5. Tommy Talau 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Luke Brooks 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Harry Grant 10. Zane Musgrove 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Chris Lawrence 13. Alex Twal 14. Thomas Mikaele 15. Russell Packer 16. Michael Chee-Kam 17. Alex Seyfarth 18. Benji Marshall 19. Luke Garner 20. Billy Walters 21. Corey Thompson.
David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
