There's no hard feelings when it comes to departing assistant coach Matt Parish, according to Canberra skipper Terry Campese, who says family comes first.
Parish will depart the NRL club this week and return to Sydney despite being contracted until the end of 2016, citing a desire to live closer to his family.
The Raiders, who granted Parish an early release, will now turn their attention to finding a replacement.
It's another cruel blow to the club, who are struggling at second-last on the ladder in their first year under coach Ricky Stuart.
Yet Campese played down suggestions Parish's immediate departure would be a distraction ahead of Monday night's clash against South Sydney in Canberra.
"That's football. There's this stuff in the game all the time. You get over things quite quickly, and never take things too personally," Campese said.
"When it comes to family, that's number one in everyone's life."
Campese added that he knew firsthand the importance of having loved ones nearby, which is one of the reasons as to why he's been a one-club NRL player.
"I look to my family all the time, especially during the hard times," he said.
"They're definitely the support I need to get through. I'm one of the lucky ones."
He added that he was confident Parish would soon find another job in the NRL.
"One hundred per cent. You've seen how he helped out with the NSW squad - he played a big part in that," he said.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said the club had been sympathetic to Parish's request.
"Both parties agreed it was important for this to happen now to minimise the disruption to the team and maximise the chances of Matt securing his coaching future," he said.
In a statement, Parish thanked the Raiders for their understanding.
"I have no doubt that what Ricky is implementing here will see the Raiders return to an NRL powerhouse," he said.
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