Revealed: Where Ricky Stuart got his bizarre ‘weak-gutted dog’ insult – and how it was used by one of Australia’s most infamous criminals
- Stuart’s ‘weak-gutted dog’ slur to Jaeman Salmon has a surprising origin
- The term appears several time in notorious gangster ‘Chopper’ Read’s books
- Read used the term to describe prisoners and mass murderers like Jason Moran
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart’s bizarre ‘weak gutted dog’ rant left many scratching their heads, but a surprising source of origin has been discovered for the phrase: notorious standover man Chopper Read’s best-selling autobiographies.
Stuart’s spray was directed at Panthers star Jaeman Salmon after Canberra’s 20-point defeat in one of the most explosive post-match press conferences ever seen.
Many fans and pundits took to social media to wonder where on earth he got the insult from.
The answer was just as bizarre as the insult itself, with the term ‘weak-gutted’ making several appearances in Read’s many autobiographies detailing his colourful life as a convicted criminal and gang member.
Mark ‘Chopper’ Read is a notorious criminal and gangland figure who wrote multiple books about his colourful life
In ‘From the Inside: Chopper 1’, Read refers to the mainstream criminal population in a prison as ‘weak-gutted mice who have no sense of personal honour and courage’.
In another passage in the same book he refers to murderer and gang member Barry Quinn as a ‘weak gutted thing’.
He similarly described the infamous hitman ‘Mr Rentakill’ Chris Flannery as a ‘weak-gutted p***k’ in ‘Hits and Memories: Chopper 2’.
Mark ‘Chopper’ Read even launched his own rap album in 2006
Read also described drug kingpin Jason Moran, who was famously depicted in the TV series Underbelly, as ‘weak-gutted thing’ who was a ‘coward and sadist’.
Stuart’s slur at Salmon was in response to him appearing to kick Raider Tom Starling in the groin while he was attempting to get up after being tackled.
Commentator Phil Gould said Stuart’s remarks were completely unjustified and noted that accidental kicks like Salmon’s are common in the NRL.
‘That’s not an uncommon occurrence. His foot was caught between his legs as they’re getting up and he was trying to get his foot out of there,’ he said on Fox League.
Salmon’s agent Sam Ayoub said his client was ‘rattled’ by Stuart’s comments, and lauded his personal growth over the last few years.
‘He is a really good kid and everyone who knows him has a love and respect for him,’ Ayoub told News Corp.
Jaeman Salmon (unseen, on ground) appears to kick Raiders hooker Tom Starling in the groin as he attempts to get up after a tackle
Panthers half Jaeman Salmon was left ‘rattled’ after being on the end of an extraordinary spray from Ricky Stuart after Penrith’s win over the Raiders
Ricky Stuart is facing a heavy punishment from the NRL for his ‘weak-gutted dog’ comments about Jaeman Salmon
Stuart’s comments stemmed from an incident between his son and Salmon during a junior rugby league match 12 years ago – a remarkably long grudge to hold for a coach who has already accumulated approximately $130,000 in fines in his career.
The NRL are set to hand down their punishment for the unprecedented spray by Wednesday at the latest, with an unprecedented suspension reportedly an option.
Stuart initially refused to back down from the comments, but on Sunday morning he made an about-face and said he was ‘truly sorry’ for letting his ’emotions get the better of him’.
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