**BREAKING: Ricky Stuart Demands NRL Compensation as Raiders Lose Top Juniors to Rival Clubs**
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has lashed out at the NRL, calling for urgent reform and compensation as the club continues to lose its top junior talent to rival teams. Speaking after yet another promising prospect signed elsewhere, Stuart expressed deep frustration with a system he believes punishes clubs that invest heavily in grassroots development.
“We spend years developing these kids—coaching them, supporting their families, giving them a pathway—and then, just as they’re ready to hit first grade, another club swoops in with more money and takes them,” Stuart said. “It’s heartbreaking, and it’s wrong.”
The Raiders have long been known for their strong junior development, particularly in regional New South Wales and the ACT. But with player agents and rival clubs circling, Stuart says smaller market teams are being gutted before they can reap the rewards.
“There needs to be compensation. The NRL has to step in and protect development clubs like ours, or we’ll stop investing altogether,” he warned.
Stuart’s comments add pressure on the NRL to consider mechanisms such as transfer fees, draft-style systems, or development incentives to help level the playing field—before more talent slips away.
