"Hopefully they don't know."
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Ricky Stuart would prefer nobody knew was taking charge of his 500th NRL game - especially his Canberra Raiders players.
While he clearly doesn't want to make the game about him - maybe that's exactly what his players should do.
It's a remarkable feat for Stuart, who will become just the fifth coach to get to the milestone when the Raiders run out against Cronulla at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
It's included stints at the Sydney Roosters, Cronulla and Parramatta, before he came home to the Raiders - where he also played 203 games.
Stuart coached Australia in 14 Tests and the NSW Blues in nine State of Origins in a career that's now into its 23rd year.
During that time he's won one premiership with the Sydney Roosters (2002) and made the grand final on three other occasions.
He'll join Wayne Bennett (920), Tim Sheens (693), Brian Smith (601) and Craig Bellamy (556) in an elite group to have reached the mark.
Given how rare it is, it's a feat that should be celebrated - even if Stuart doesn't want the focus to be on him.
So it will be up to the players themselves to make it that - especially given the way the Raiders coach has celebrated their milestones in the past.
And that's what "Sticky's" all about - his players. Oh, and winning. Don't forget the winning.
He's a competitive beast, after all. But he doesn't want the win to be for himself. Just for the Raiders.
Which brings us back to how this story began, when The Canberra Times asked Stuart whether he thought his players would talk about his milestone at all.
"Hopefully they don't know," he said. And he meant it, preferring the focus to be on them instead.
"That's more important to me - celebrating their milestones and celebrating what the players' achievements are.
"I'm very privileged, though. I feel very honoured and privileged, especially being at the club I started at.
"That means everything to me, being involved in something that I've loved ever since I was born, with my father bringing us through the world of rugby league.
"But I'd much prefer to keep it focused on the main thing [on Sunday]. And that's winning."
Cronulla great and Channel Nine commentator Paul Gallen is one of the 1608 players Stuart has coached along the way.
He not only coached him at the Sharks, but for the Blues and Australia as well.
The Sharks hard man clearly has a soft spot for Stuart and credits the now Green Machine coach for making him the player he became - even if his ex-coach still owes him a pair of Oakley sunglasses as part of the deal to keep him at Cronulla when Manly came calling in 2007.
Stuart organised for Gallen to meet Ron Massey, a great of the game, at a time when the Sharks lock was "doing dumb things" on the field that were costing his team through penalties and suspensions.
It was one of the most confronting meetings of Gallen's career and left the former Sharks captain with two choices - he could say "stuff you" or pull his head in.
He chose the latter, relatively speaking, and credited Stuart for the career that followed.
Gallen put Stuart's longevity as a coach down to one thing - and it's also why the Raiders players will be running out for Stuart on Sunday. Whether he wants them to or not.
"It's the fact that blokes want to play for him," Gallen said.
"Obviously you need to have success - he's won premierships, he's taken teams to grand finals and finished in the top eight a lot of times.
"Obviously that's a big part of it. I honestly think it's players want to play for you.
"If they're willing to put in for you, put their body on the line for the coach and the club, I think that means you're a good coach.
"Without a doubt Ricky's done that for a long time."
NRL ROUND EIGHT
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Chevy Stewart, 2. James Schiller, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Kaeo Weekes, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Joe Tapine (c), 11. Hudson Young, 12. Simi Sasagi, 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ata Mariota, 16. Trey Mooney, 17. Pasami Saulo. Reserves: 18. Albert Hopoate, 19. Emre Guler, 20. Zac Woolford, 21. Nick Cotric, 22. Peter Hola.
Sharks squad: 1. William Kennedy, 2. Sione Katoa, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. Kayal Iro, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Daniel Atkinson, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Thomas Hazelton, 9. Blayke Brailey, 10. Oregon Kaufusi, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Teig Wilton, 13. Cameron McInnes. Interchange: 14. Jack Williams, 15. Siosifa Talakai, 16. Toby Rudolf, 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele. Reserves: 18. Mawene Hiroti, 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha, 20. Samuel Stonestreet, 21. Royce Hunt, 22. Kade Dykes.