Stuart Raper
Encyclopedia
Stuart Raper is an Australian former professional rugby league
player and coach. He has since become a sideline commentator for the NRL with Foxsports. He is widely known for both his father being Rugby League legend Johnny Raper
and also being the only Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks coach to win the President's Cup (under-21s) for the club in 1994.
in round 25 of the 1983 NSWRFL season. After a promising start to his first grade career he was never able to live up to his famous father's shadow while at the Sharks and after only eight first grade games with them in three years, decided it was best to move on in an attempt to further his career.
Raper moved to England for the 1986/87 season and signed for Oldham
. Raper made 31 appearances for Oldham in that season and scored 11 tries but his efforts didn't prevent Oldham from being relegated from the 1st Division. He left the club at the end of the season.
In 1989 Raper signed on with Sydney's Western Suburbs Magpies
on a one year deal with the club. His opportunities though were yet again limited and after only a mere five appearances for the season his contract was not renewed and his first grade career came to an end.
Raper signed on to his first coaching role in 1994 with the Under 21's Sharks side. Here Raper inherited an extremely talented side (featuring Adam Dykes
, Geoff Bell
and David Peachey
) and with them excelled as he took the team to the clubs first President's Cup in his debut season as coach.
Following his immediate success with the Under 21 side he was duly appointed as the new coach of the Sharks reserve grade side for the 1995 season. More success followed for Raper (as he inherited much the same side from his Under 21 coaching days) as after two seasons he was successful in coaching his side to the reserve grade title in 1996.
club the Castleford Tigers
and joined on 27 April 1997. At the start of the second Super League season
Castleford were seen by many as a team simply making up the numbers and few held hopes for their survival to avoid being relegated. Throughout the season they continually struggled large parts and in the end only just managed to avoid being relegated, eventually finishing tenth.
With a new season in 1998 many pundits predicted the Tigers would be one of the sides to face the drop down to National League One by the end of the season. With the odds stacked against Raper and his position continually under pressure after a poor first season he defied many odds by keeping his Castleford side near the top of the table for the majority of the season in which they eventually finished sixth.
The 1999 season saw Castleford continue their progress. The season started with the side missing out on the last Challenge Cup
final to be held at Wembley Stadium
after a last-gasp score saw London Broncos knock the side out. The positive cup run continued into the league and Castleford ended the league season in the top 5. Raper masterminded the side past Wigan Warriors
and local rivals Leeds Rhinos
and took the Tigers within 80 minutes of the Grand Final at Old Trafford. They were knocked out in the last knock-out stage by St Helens
. The 1999 season still stands as the most successful for Castleford in the Super League era and because of it Raper is still highly regarded in the hearts of the club's fans.
2000 was Raper's last season with the Castleford Tigers
and his performance somewhat mirrored their previous season as he yet again took his side to a finishing place of fifth and into the finals for a consecutive season. He took the opportunity to manage Wigan Warriors
after not being provided with the finances he claimed were required to take the Tigers onto the next level. The club subsequently fell into decline and were relegated in 2005 - a fate that would have arguably come much earlier without Raper's guidance.
giants the Wigan Warriors
for the 2001 season.
His first season in charge at his new club proved to be a fruitful one for Raper as the Warriors finished second on the end of season table and made it all the way to the 2001 Grand Final; although they ended up losing to the Bradford Bulls
in a somewhat poor performance for the club's usually high standards.
He remained with Wigan for a further two seasons in 2002 and 2003 where they finished a respectable third in both seasons though were never able to progress to the Final and obtain a Super League title in either. Raper did however enjoy his first piece of English rugby league silverware in 2002 when he took his Wigan Warriors
side to victory in the Rugby League Challenge Cup
. They beat non other than local rivals St Helens, 21-12.
At the start of his tenure at the Sharks, the former Cronulla pupil was given the task of rebuilding the club after they failed to make the NRL
playoffs in 2003 for the first time in four seasons.
While Raper's first season record after taking over from Anderson was modest, he and his coaching team dealt with several obstacles in 2004 and showed some classy football against the top sides.
2005 started very well for Cronulla and Raper, however, by the end of the season the Sharks had limped home into 7th place in the finals. This for slump coincided with playmaker Brett Kimmorley
's poor performance in State of Origin
one of that season, and further poor performances after his axing from the representative side. The sharks lost to St George Illawarra in the first round of the semi finals and were eliminated.
2006 was to be Stuart Raper's final season at the club. Raper came under heavy criticism for the way he coached the side, mostly for his persistence with the Adam Dykes
/Brett Kimmorley
halves pairing, which many deemed to be unsuccessful. Raper was also criticised for not having a structured game plan as well as other questionable player selections. The season ended with a 10 game losing streak, including losses to a heavily depleted Brisbane Broncos
side, as well as a second half capitulation at home against Penrith, where Raper's team let in 20 points in 16 minutes to lose a seemingly un-losable game.
Ricky Stuart
was appointed as Rapers replacement for 2007.
He now works as a commentator and analyst for Fox Sports
.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player and coach. He has since become a sideline commentator for the NRL with Foxsports. He is widely known for both his father being Rugby League legend Johnny Raper
Johnny Raper
John Raper, MBE is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a lock forward for the Australia national team. He had a record 33 test caps between 1959 and 1968 and played in 6 World Cup games between 1960 to 1968...
and also being the only Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks coach to win the President's Cup (under-21s) for the club in 1994.
Playing career
Raper originally signed on to play with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the early 1980s and made his first grade debut at the age of 18 against the Illawarra SteelersIllawarra Steelers
The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
in round 25 of the 1983 NSWRFL season. After a promising start to his first grade career he was never able to live up to his famous father's shadow while at the Sharks and after only eight first grade games with them in three years, decided it was best to move on in an attempt to further his career.
Raper moved to England for the 1986/87 season and signed for Oldham
Oldham Roughyeds
Oldham Roughyeds is an English professional rugby league club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Championship One. Oldham is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895....
. Raper made 31 appearances for Oldham in that season and scored 11 tries but his efforts didn't prevent Oldham from being relegated from the 1st Division. He left the club at the end of the season.
In 1989 Raper signed on with Sydney's Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
on a one year deal with the club. His opportunities though were yet again limited and after only a mere five appearances for the season his contract was not renewed and his first grade career came to an end.
Coaching career
After a brief playing career with both the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Western Suburbs MagpiesWestern Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
Raper signed on to his first coaching role in 1994 with the Under 21's Sharks side. Here Raper inherited an extremely talented side (featuring Adam Dykes
Adam Dykes
Adam Dykes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He has previously played for the Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks and Hull...
, Geoff Bell
Geoff Bell
Geoff Bell may refer to:*Geoff Bell , Australian rugby league footballer*Geoff Bell , British actor*Geoffrey Bell , economist, banker*Geoffrey Bell -See also:*Jeffrey Bell...
and David Peachey
David Peachey
David Peachey is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football in the National Rugby League for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks...
) and with them excelled as he took the team to the clubs first President's Cup in his debut season as coach.
Following his immediate success with the Under 21 side he was duly appointed as the new coach of the Sharks reserve grade side for the 1995 season. More success followed for Raper (as he inherited much the same side from his Under 21 coaching days) as after two seasons he was successful in coaching his side to the reserve grade title in 1996.
Castleford Tigers
After a successful 1996 season at home with Cronulla, Raper was offered the head coaching role at English Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club the Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
and joined on 27 April 1997. At the start of the second Super League season
Super League II
Stones Bitter Super League II was the official name for the year 1997's Super League championship season, the 103rd season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the second championship run by Super League.-Season summary:...
Castleford were seen by many as a team simply making up the numbers and few held hopes for their survival to avoid being relegated. Throughout the season they continually struggled large parts and in the end only just managed to avoid being relegated, eventually finishing tenth.
With a new season in 1998 many pundits predicted the Tigers would be one of the sides to face the drop down to National League One by the end of the season. With the odds stacked against Raper and his position continually under pressure after a poor first season he defied many odds by keeping his Castleford side near the top of the table for the majority of the season in which they eventually finished sixth.
The 1999 season saw Castleford continue their progress. The season started with the side missing out on the last Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final to be held at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
after a last-gasp score saw London Broncos knock the side out. The positive cup run continued into the league and Castleford ended the league season in the top 5. Raper masterminded the side past Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
and local rivals Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and took the Tigers within 80 minutes of the Grand Final at Old Trafford. They were knocked out in the last knock-out stage by St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
. The 1999 season still stands as the most successful for Castleford in the Super League era and because of it Raper is still highly regarded in the hearts of the club's fans.
2000 was Raper's last season with the Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
and his performance somewhat mirrored their previous season as he yet again took his side to a finishing place of fifth and into the finals for a consecutive season. He took the opportunity to manage Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
after not being provided with the finances he claimed were required to take the Tigers onto the next level. The club subsequently fell into decline and were relegated in 2005 - a fate that would have arguably come much earlier without Raper's guidance.
Wigan Warriors
At the end of the another successful season in 2000 with his Castleford side Raper was offered the head coaching role at Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
giants the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
for the 2001 season.
His first season in charge at his new club proved to be a fruitful one for Raper as the Warriors finished second on the end of season table and made it all the way to the 2001 Grand Final; although they ended up losing to the Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
in a somewhat poor performance for the club's usually high standards.
He remained with Wigan for a further two seasons in 2002 and 2003 where they finished a respectable third in both seasons though were never able to progress to the Final and obtain a Super League title in either. Raper did however enjoy his first piece of English rugby league silverware in 2002 when he took his Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
side to victory in the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
. They beat non other than local rivals St Helens, 21-12.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
During the 2004 season Raper was called home to the Sharks and originally found himself as an assistant coach to then head coach Chris Anderson. Though before the season's end he was called on to take the reins of their first grade squad.At the start of his tenure at the Sharks, the former Cronulla pupil was given the task of rebuilding the club after they failed to make the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
playoffs in 2003 for the first time in four seasons.
While Raper's first season record after taking over from Anderson was modest, he and his coaching team dealt with several obstacles in 2004 and showed some classy football against the top sides.
2005 started very well for Cronulla and Raper, however, by the end of the season the Sharks had limped home into 7th place in the finals. This for slump coincided with playmaker Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
's poor performance in State of Origin
State of Origin
State of Origin is the name used in Australia for one existing sporting event which involves domestic representative teams. The term, when used in isolation, usually refers to rugby league football, and occassionally Australian Football matches, in which players are selected for the Australian...
one of that season, and further poor performances after his axing from the representative side. The sharks lost to St George Illawarra in the first round of the semi finals and were eliminated.
2006 was to be Stuart Raper's final season at the club. Raper came under heavy criticism for the way he coached the side, mostly for his persistence with the Adam Dykes
Adam Dykes
Adam Dykes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He has previously played for the Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks and Hull...
/Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
halves pairing, which many deemed to be unsuccessful. Raper was also criticised for not having a structured game plan as well as other questionable player selections. The season ended with a 10 game losing streak, including losses to a heavily depleted Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
side, as well as a second half capitulation at home against Penrith, where Raper's team let in 20 points in 16 minutes to lose a seemingly un-losable game.
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
was appointed as Rapers replacement for 2007.
He now works as a commentator and analyst for Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
Fox Sports is an Australia group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
.
External links
- Stuart Raper Wigan Coaching Career Page on the Wigan RL Fansite.