Rick Stone

{{short description|Australian rugby league footballer and coach}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

| name = Rick Stone

| fullname =

| image = Rick Stone Newcastle Knights.jpg

| image_size = 220px

| caption = Stone at a NSW Cup game in 2011.

| position =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|2|14|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Australia

| height =

| weight =

| club1 = South Sydney

| year1start = 1989

| year1end =

| appearances1 = 3

| tries1 = 0

| goals1 = 0

| fieldgoals1 = 0

| points1 = 0

| coachteam1 = Newcastle Knights

| coachyear1start = 2009

| coachyear1end = 11

| coachgames1 = 54

| coachwins1 = 25

| coachdraws1 = 0

| coachlosses1 = 29

| coachteam2 = Newcastle Knights

| coachyear2start = 2015

| coachyear2end =

| coachgames2 = 18

| coachwins2 = 6

| coachdraws2 = 0

| coachlosses2 = 12

| coachteam3 = {{nowrap|Huddersfield Giants}}

| coachyear3start = 2016

| coachyear3end = 18

| coachgames3 = 47

| coachwins3 = 18

| coachdraws3 = 3

| coachlosses3 = 26

| coachteam4 = {{nowrap|Sydney Roosters Women}}

| coachyear4start = 2019

| coachyear4end =

| coachgames4 = 3

| coachwins4 = 0

| coachdraws4 = 0

| coachlosses4 = 3

| coachteamA = {{nowrap|Queensland Residents}}

| coachyearAstart = 2005

| coachyearAend =

| coachgamesA = 1

| coachwinsA = 0

| coachdrawsA = 0

| coachlossesA = 1

| coachteamB = {{rlnt|Fiji}}

| coachyearBstart = 2011

| coachyearBend = 15

| coachgamesB = 8

| coachwinsB = 4

| coachdrawsB = 0

| coachlossesB = 4

| coachteamC = {{rlnt|Lebanon}}

| coachyearCstart = 2019

| coachyearCend =

| coachgamesC = 1

| coachwinsC = 0

| coachdrawsC = 0

| coachlossesC = 1

| retired = no

| source = [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rick-stone/summary.html Rugby League Project]{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/coaches/Rick_Stone/summary.html|title=Rick Stone - Summary|publisher=Rugby League Project|date=1967-02-14|access-date=2016-07-27}}

| updated = 4 January 2024

| module = {{infobox person

| embed = yes

| father =

| mother =

| spouse =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| relatives = Sam Stone (son)

}}

Rick Stone (born 14 February 1967) is a professional rugby league football coach and former player. He has coached the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League, the Sydney Roosters in the NRL Women's Premiership, and the Fijian and Lebanese national teams.

Playing career

Stone played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, appearing in a handful of first-grade games in the 1989 Winfield Cup premiership.[http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Rick-Stone_7855.aspx Rick Stone] at yesterdayshero.com.au 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

File:Rick Stone.jpg

In 1994, Stone later joined Queensland Cup side Burleigh whom he coached for 13 seasons, winning three premierships during that time.[http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/smith-out-stone-in-150-knights-directors-consider-quick-move-oncoaching-job/2009/08/03/1249152559124.html "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. He coached the club to a 6–10 loss against Great Britain in a warm-up match for the 1999 Tri-nations series.{{cite web|title=Burleigh Bears 6 lost to Great Britain 10|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/lions-tour-1999/game-1/burleigh-vs-great-britain.html|work=rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates|access-date=13 January 2014}}

=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.{{cite news|last=Read|first=Brent|newspaper=The Australian|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25943848-2722,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215175056/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25943848-2722,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2012|title= Newcastle Knights era under Rick Stone off to a flying start|date=18 August 2009|access-date=7 September 2009}}

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.[http://www.facebook.com/notes/rugby-league-week/knights-media-release-rick-stone-re-signs-with-knights-for-four-more-years/209796379061613 Knights media release: Rick Stone re-signs with Knights for four more years]. Facebook. Retrieved on 2012-04-20. Stone coached Fiji in their 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign.[https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/477935/rick-stone-will-coach-fiji/ ]

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.{{cite web|author=NRL|url=http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2014/08/11/rick_stone_appointed_head_coach.html|title=Rick Stone appointed Head Coach - Knights|date=10 August 2014|publisher=Newcastleknights.com.au|access-date=2016-07-27}} 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.{{cite web | url=http://fijilive.com/sports/news/2014/10/stone-set-for-bati-farewell-match/35680.Fijilive | title=FijiLive: Fiji News, Fiji Football, Fiji Rugby, Fiji Sport, Fiji Music, Fiji Picture Gallery, Fiji Tourism, Fiji Apps is coming soon }} He was fired as Newcastle's head coach in July 2015.{{cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-league/newcastle-knights/newcastle-knights-sack-coach-rick-stone-with-danny-buderus-his-replacement-20150727-gild2g.html| title=Newcastle Knights sack coach Rick Stone with Danny Buderus his replacement| newspaper=theage.com.au| date=27 July 2015| access-date=27 July 2015}}

=Huddersfield Giants=

In July 2016, Stone was named as the new head coach of Super League club Huddersfield Giants.{{cite web| url=http://talksport.com/rugby-league/super-league-news-rick-stone-named-huddersfield-giants-new-head-coach-160711202580| title=Super League news: Rick Stone named as Huddersfield Giants' new head coach| publisher=talkSPORT| date=11 July 2016| access-date=27 July 2016}} After a poor start to the 2018 Super League Season, Stone left his position as Coach.

=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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2019/11/08/burleigh-appoint-new-head-coach/|title = Burleigh appoint new head coach|date = 8 November 2019}}