THE insatiable appetite for success, and the criticism that comes when it’s not satisfied, finally ate up Raiders coach Ricky Stuart on Saturday.

With his team firming to win Canberra’s first wooden spoon since the club’s inception 32 years ago, Stuart unleashed an impassioned plea for patience amid rising criticism from fans and media.

The insult of Dragons representative stars Josh Dugan, Brett Morris, and Jason Nightingale posting all but one of the visitor’s seven tries proved too much for Stuart, who has gone frustratingly close to recruiting a string of top players for 2015.

But Stuart went back 12 months as he unloaded Canberra’s tale of woe in a gravelly voice, blaming the club’s “rut” on the loss of NSW Origin duo Blake Ferguson and Dugan before he was appointed coach last season.

“Losing two Origin players put us in this rut,” Stuart said.

“We are in a position and they can jump into us and bag us for what it is.

“(But) until I get Origin players in, it’s not going to change and that’s my job. I’ve got to cut to the chase and be fair dinkum.

“Until we grow our own, our fans are going to have to stick solid. I’m getting sick of it and fed-up with give you one-line answers. “As much as it will sound like I’m making excuses, I’m telling it exactly how it is.”

Next weekend’s clash against Cronulla is now virtual a play-off for this year’s spoon, but there are bigger issues that could fester beyond the competition proper.

The most pressing is the future of skipper Terry Campese, who has been told he’s free to find a new club in 2015. Stuart’s emotional plea came just 24 hours after The Daily Telegraph broke the story, although Raiders general manager Don Furner denies Campese had asked for a

release to join Hull FC in June.

“It doesn’t affect me at all,” Stuart said. “What was in the paper (on Friday) was wrong.”