'He's lost four or five kilos': Whitehead's horrible match preparation revealed
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has opened up on the sacrifices made by his captain Elliott Whitehead after the side's come from behind victory against the Dragons.
Whitehead was noticeably below his best, with only five runs for 39 metres but led the side around brilliantly while other second-rower Hudson Young played brilliantly.
However, there was understandable reason behind the captain's lack of potency in attack as Stuart revealed.
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"Elliott won't tell you, he's been in bed for two days," Stuart said at the post-match press conference.
"He only trained yesterday, he's lost four or five kilos from a virus he had."
When asked how he was feeling, Whitehead wasn't giving too much away.
"Tired, I'm alright," he said.
Along with his praise for the skipper, Stuart was in a mood to applaud his players with fullback Sebastian Kris playing one of his best games in the jersey.
Kris has stepped up into the role due to the absence of young gun Xavier Savage and scored a try for the Raiders in the win.
"I often laugh about the fact that everyone has been so critical of the fact he's not a fullback," Stuart said.
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Sebastian Kris of the Raiders celebrates scoring a try during the round seven NRL match between Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra Dragons at GIO Stadium on April 16, 2023 in Canberra, Australia. Getty
"He's a footy player, I could play him centre, I could play him wing, I could play him at lock and Sebby gives you 100 per cent.
"He's getting better and better and he's a great asset to the team."
The 20-14 win over the Dragons gave Stuart's side a two-match winning streak after shocking the Broncos on April 8 with a 20-14 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
Canberra will have the bye next week before hosting the Dolphins at Wagga Wagga on April 29.
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