Rick Stone

Rick Stone is a professional rugby league football coach and former player who was the head coach of the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has coached the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League and the Fiji national team.

Rick Stone
Stone at a NSW Cup game in 2011.
Personal information
Born (1967-02-14) 14 February 1967
Australia
Playing information
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1989 South Sydney 3 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2009–15 Newcastle Knights 72 31 0 41 43
2016–18 Huddersfield Giants 37 13 3 22 35
Total 109 44 3 63 40
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2011–15 Fiji 9 5 0 4 56
2019– Lebanon 1 0 0 1 0
As of 27 March 2018
Source: [1][2]

Playing career

Stone played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, appearing in a handful of first-grade games in the 1989 Winfield Cup premiership.[3] Stone played for and later captain coached the Nambucca Heads Roosters in the Group 2 Rugby League winning two premierships in 1992 and 1993.

Coaching career
Stone at a NSW Cup game in 2011

In 1994, Stone later joined Queensland Cup side Burleigh whom he coached for 13 seasons, winning three premierships during that time.[4] He coached the club to a 6–10 loss against Great Britain in a warm-up match for the 1999 Tri-nations series.[5]

Newcastle Knights

Stone started at Newcastle as assistant coach to Michael Hagan. During the 2009 NRL season, Stone's fourth at the Newcastle Knights, the head coach, Brian Smith, resigned. Stone, then assistant coach to Smith, was appointed to the position of coach for the remainder of the season. He enjoyed victory in his first game as head coach of the Knights with a win against the eventual grand final winners Melbourne Storm.[6]

He was named head coach of Fiji in 2011.

With the signing of supercoach Wayne Bennett at the Knights for the next four years starting in 2012, Stone re-signed with the Knights for another 4 years to be assistant coach to Bennett and take over after Bennett left.[7] Stone coached Fiji in their 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign.[8]

On 11 August 2014, it was announced that Stone would be taking over as coach of the Knights again on a 2-year contract starting in 2015, following Wayne Bennett's decision to move to the Brisbane Broncos in 2015.[9] On 18 October 2014 Stone named a 19-man Fiji team for the Inaugural Hayne/Mannah Cup test match against Lebanon. This match would be Stone's last match as Fiji coach, due to him becoming head coach at the Newcastle Knights again.[10] He was fired as Newcastle's head coach in July 2015.[11]

Huddersfield Giants

In July 2016, Stone was named as the new head coach of Super League club Huddersfield Giants. After a poor start to the 2018 Super League Season, Stone left his position as Coach.[12]

Return to Burleigh

On 8 November 2019, it was announced that Stone had signed a two-year contract with Queensland Cup side Burleigh Bears, starting 2020, thus marking his return to the club where he had coached between 1995 and 2005, winning two premierships.[13]

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. "Rick Stone - Summary". Rugby League Project. 14 February 1967. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  3. Rick Stone at yesterdayshero.com.au
  4. ''Smith out, Stone in – Knights directors consider quick move on coaching job'' by Brad Walter, League HQ, 4 August 2009. Smh.com.au. Retrieved on 2012-04-20.
  5. "Burleigh Bears 6 lost to Great Britain 10". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  6. Read, Brent (18 August 2009). "Newcastle Knights era under Rick Stone off to a flying start". The Australian. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  7. Knights media release: Rick Stone re-signs with Knights for four more years. Facebook. Retrieved on 2012-04-20.
  8. http://www.theherald.com.au/story/477935/rick-stone-will-coach-fiji/
  9. NRL. "Rick Stone appointed Head Coach - Knights". Newcastleknights.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  10. http://fijilive.com/sports/news/2014/10/stone-set-for-bati-farewell-match/35680.Fijilive
  11. "Newcastle Knights sack coach Rick Stone with Danny Buderus his replacement". theage.com.au. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  12. "Super League news: Rick Stone named as Huddersfield Giants' new head coach". talkSPORT. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  13. https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2019/11/08/burleigh-appoint-new-head-coach/
Preceded by
Brian Smith
2007-2009		 Head Coach
Newcastle Knights
2009-2012		 Succeeded by
Wayne Bennett
Preceded by
Wayne Bennett
2012-2014		 Head Coach
Newcastle Knights
2015		 Succeeded by
Danny Buderus (interim)
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