KANGAROOS coach Ricky Stuart was so incensed by the shock loss of his team to New Zealand in Saturday night's World Cup final he verbally attacked ARL chief executive and close friend Geoff Carr, alleging a conspiracy by tournament organisers.

Yet despite the fierce exchange of words and outlandish claims, and Stuart's role in overseeing the most stunning shock defeat in rugby league's centenary year, Carr was yesterday adamant the coach would keep his job - if he wanted to stay on.

Stuart is understood to have taken particular exception to a number of refereeing decisions that proved costly to his team and made accusations that an Australian loss suited the organisers and the future of the World Cup, which, up until the final, had been written off as a one-horse race after the Kangaroos' crushing defeats of the Kiwis, England, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Stuart made the bizarre claims to a startled Carr immediately after the final at Suncorp Stadium, while the victorious Kiwis were still celebrating exuberantly.

"Me and Ricky are good mates and I have a lot of respect for Ricky and how he handled himself last night," Carr told the Herald. "Ricky needed to blow off some steam, he needed to get it out there. He was very emotional, but I am not going to talk about what we discussed. He was very, very emotional after the game because he puts his heart and soul into the game and into the team and it was good for him to come to me and have the opportunity to get everything off his chest."

But witnesses say Stuart was out of line in his attack, blaming match officials and accusing them of stitching up his team to such an extent defeat was virtually inevitable. While Stuart might have been upset with a few decisions, it was the errors of his team, coupled with a lacklustre forward pack, that cost them the game. Captain Darren Lockyer failed to ground a try, Billy Slater threw a ball direct to try-scoring Kiwi Benji Marshall and Joel Monaghan handed the Kiwis a penalty try after a deliberate and high tackle on Lance Hohaia.

After the match, Stuart was seen walking towards Carr mouthing the words, "Why? Why?" Carr stressed to Stuart that he needed to get himself together and show some dignity in defeat, especially at the press conference he was to front minutes later.

At that conference, when quizzed about Monaghan's actions, Stuart said: "That's not for me to judge. I just need to cop the result." Asked about the words he had with Carr, Stuart replied: "I was disappointed with the result as any coach would be."

Carr said that despite the loss Stuart would be supported if he wanted to keep the Australian coaching position. The tenure is usually for one year, and earlier in the week Carr had publicly expressed a hope that Stuart would stay in the job for next season. "He has only had the one defeat and most of this campaign was very, very strong," Carr said yesterday.

"Ricky is someone who is very passionate about the jumper and the team. I don't try to put pressure on the coaches. Ricky will think about it and we will have a discussion down the track, but there is no doubt in my mind that he will coach the Kangaroos next season. Ultimately, it is the board's decision, but all of the board members I have spoken to have only expressed admiration for the job Ricky has done. Ricky is not under any pressure at all."

After the Kangaroos' 2005 defeat by New Zealand in the Tri-Nations final, there were calls for Australian coach Wayne Bennett to be sacked, and he eventually resigned before returning to the international scene this year as part of the Kiwis' brains trust that masterminded Saturday's win.

But far from calling for heads, a number of former Australian players yesterday took the bigger-picture approach.

"Why?" replied former Kangaroos captain Gorden Tallis when asked if Stuart's future should be reassessed.

"I read a stat before the game that he was the most successful Australian coach. He still would be, wouldn't he? One win doesn't make a season, or one loss. They still played a wonderful brand of football. It was a good game of football. All the cynics that bagged it … it was one of the great games."

Former NSW and Australian forward Mark Geyer also defended Stuart. "Questions will be asked, but I don't think that's Sticky's fault," he said.

"It was the game of the year. I hate seeing Australia get beaten, but sometimes the greats have got to be sacrificed for a bigger view. It was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history. The Australians are a super team, but they might have peaked too quick. It was like the Kiwis were in the Melbourne Cup, and the Aussies in the Doncaster. I think the Kiwis ambushed them."

Tallis said the Kangaroos deserved to retain their reputation as one of the great Australian sides despite defeat.

"I've played in a World Cup," Tallis said. "I know how hard they are. I still think it's a very, very good Australian side, a wonderful side. It took a very courageous New Zealand performance to beat us."