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Raiders ready for Stuart's punishment

The Canberra Raiders say they are ready to accept any punishment handed down for Ricky Stuart's post-match tirade, which could include a suspension.

Raiders coach RICKY STUART.
Raiders coach RICKY STUART. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Canberra CEO Don Furner says the Raiders are ready to accept any punishment handed down by the NRL for coach Ricky Stuart's verbal attack on Jaeman Salmon, which could include suspension from future games.

After Penrith's 26-6 defeat of the Raiders, Stuart labelled the Panthers' stand-in five-eighth a "weak-gutted dog" for kicking Tom Starling in the groin.

Salmon ran afoul of the Canberra coach while playing with his son as a pre-teen in 2010, reportedly reducing the younger Stuart to tears in an incident that led to a confrontation between the pair's fathers.

"'Where Salmon kicked Tommy, it ain't on," Stuart said on Saturday.

"I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well.

"He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn't changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now."

In their first statement since Stuart's comments, the Raiders said they did not endorse the coach's behaviour but understood it.

"As a club we do not condone the comments made by Ricky in Saturday night's press conference and we are currently in dialogue with the NRL and cooperating with all their inquiries," Furner said.

"We will accept their findings and any sanctions they hand down.

"Being a head coach is a high-pressure job and comes with intense scrutiny from fans, media, and public and we understand emotion is high following a match.

"However, as a club we acknowledge that coaches also have a responsibility to ensure they conduct themselves professionally when making public comment."

The Panthers won't comment on the matter publicly until the NRL Integrity Unit's investigation is finalised.

NRL head of football elite competitions Graham Annesley was quizzed on Monday on whether it was time to hit Stuart with a suspension, given he's racked up $135,000 in fines across his coaching career.

"I'm not trying to dodge the question, but it's just simply not my responsibility," Annesley said.

"There'll be a determination reached ... nothing gets kept secret in this game.

"We'll put out something so that everyone's aware, but that will come from the chief executive after the advice of the integrity unit."

The NRL has set no timeline on when any punishment will be announced.

Stuart has yet to contact the Panthers or Salmon personally since the incident but did release a public apology on Sunday.

Salmon pleaded guilty to the grade one contrary conduct charge incurred for the kick and will escape suspension with a $1,000 fine.

The Panthers told AAP the usually confident and mild-mannered Salmon was still rattled by the incident when he returned to training for recovery on Monday.

Despite Stuart's public apology, the Salmon family urged the NRL to consider a serious sanction in a statement of their own released on Sunday.

The Panthers expect Salmon to line up against Melbourne on Thursday, with regular five-eighth Jarome Luai sidelined for at least the next three weeks with a knee injury.

Elsewhere, Penrith prop James Fisher-Harris has accepted a two match ban for his high tackle on Canberra's Ryan Sutton.

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