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http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,26054357-14823,00.html
Anderson no longer dead man walking
By Andrew Webster | September 11, 2009 12:00am
WHEN they were at their lowest, the whispers started and the conspiracy theories ran wild about when Daniel Anderson was about to be sacked.
Of course, the Eels hierarchy denies he was ever a dead man walking. And nobody will confirm if Ricky Stuart really was sussed out about the job. And you can only guess he was treading on shaky ground because he was appointed by deposed chief executive Denis Fitzgerald.
But as the rugby league world gushes over fullback Jarryd Hayne, there can be no disputing what Anderson has achieved. In not just transforming his ailing side but repairing his reputation.
Because as it stood after round 18, when the Eels were 14th, the bloke was considered in the eyes of many to be an abject failure.
"There was no chance in the world he was going to be sacked," says Eels chief executive Paul Osborne, who was appointed mid-season.
"He has two years to go on his contract after this one. As far as I was concerned, he was going nowhere."
Alas, there is never only one chief at a football club. But whatever the score, Anderson has repaid the faith invested in him.
The Eels' 37-0 loss to the Dragons last Friday night, which snapped a seven-match winning streak, has diverted attention away from the fact that it's a minor miracle they are playing the same team in Sunday's qualifying final at Kogarah.
When the Bulldogs punished his side 48-18 in round 6, Anderson questioned the players' commitment to their blue and gold jumper.
"At times today we didn't have that sense of pride," he told reporters. "Unless we start putting in a committed 80-minute performance, we won't compete in the NRL. We will be languishing."
They were remarks that privately rankled some senior players. As for captain Nathan Cayless, his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head as he sat alongside Anderson at the press conference.
The fans howled when five-eighth Brett Finch was nudged out of the door and centre Ben Smith publicly wondered if it was the right decision. Indeed, Anderson's strict, unyielding attitude served as a thunderous cultural shock for his players, who had enjoyed a relaxed regime under predecessor Michael Hagan.
"Under Hages, the culture was very laid-back," Osborne offered. "Daniel had to snap them out of that attitude. It was hard on a lot of them.
"The turnaround (earlier this season) has been amazing. I covered a couple of games for ABC Radio and let's face it - they were dreadful."
Anderson hasn't had a charmed run, either. Nobody knew Daniel Mortimer would play beyond his teenage years in his rookie season. Jeff Robson was the halfback even the gate attendant at Parramatta Stadium couldn't recognise. For weeks, the freakishly gifted Feleti Mateo shivered on the sidelines with a leg injury.
"You can never panic," former Eels premiership-winning captain Steve Edge says.
"You only had to look at the players he had to see they would come good.
"But Daniel has done a terrific job. And we all knew, even though things were tough there for a while, that he was the right man for the job."
Statistics guru David Middleton reckons the Eels's turnaround can only be compared to the legendary South Sydney side of 1955, which sat last halfway through the season before winning their next 11 straight to claim the premiership.
Parramatta can't perform that miracle. They mightn't win the competition. They may struggle to beat the Dragons at Kogarah on Sunday.
But those whispers about whether Daniel Anderson is the right man for the Eels are there no more.