http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...-to-the-nrl-club/story-e6frf3tc-1227145204511
BRAD Arthur calls them puppy dog eyes.
The Parramatta coach is explaining Anthony Watmoughs influence on the young Eels forwards.
Arthur speaks about Watmoughs hard edge. He admits it is what the Eels lacked in 2014.
You ask how they overcome the loss of Jarryd Hayne?
Can Will Hopoate fill Haynes boots?
And what about Chris Sandow, will it be his last year in blue and gold despite his redemption this year?
Three months out from the start of the 2015 NRL season, the usually media shy Eels coach sat down with The Daily Telegraph and opened up about the year ahead.
He spoke about solidarity in the club, from the board to the administration and coaching staff right down to players at the tail-end of his 39-man squad.
After years of infighting, he says, the club is finally pulling in one direction.
But above all else, the message we got is why Arthur thinks Watmough a 288 NRL game veteran who comes with a body bashed up by 13 years of running through brick walls is worth every cent the Eels paid for him.
CHOCS CULTURE CHANGE
Weve heard what Watmough thinks of Arthur. How the NRL warhorse rates this NRL rookie coach the best he has played under.
Now its Arthurs turn to return a compliment.
It is not so much with Choc do as I say, it is do as I do, Arthur says. And he is outstanding shape. He is a little bit heavier and he is leaner and he is stronger.
Anthony Watmough during sprint training. Pic Stephen Cooper.
Anthony Watmough during sprint training. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia He has put on a couple of kilos of muscle. He just looks fit.
And without making a big song and dance about it he has grabbed a few of the young boys and given them a few tips about things the others boys probably wouldnt see.
These young boys are looking at him with big puppy dog eyes every time he opens his mouth.
I dont want him coming here and thinking that he has got to try and save the world but the things that he is doing at the moment show very good signs of leadership.
And while Arthur still hasnt named who will join Tim Mannah as co-captain next year in place of Hayne, he says Watmough will lead by example.
The thing is with Choc, I wouldnt need to put the C next to his name or as a co-captain because it wouldnt change what he is doing, Arthur continues.
You can have a lot of senior players who would not do what he is doing because of the competition and that they are worried about the young blokes taking their spot.
Parramatta new recruit Anthony Watmough is already helping his young teammates become bet
Parramatta new recruit Anthony Watmough is already helping his young teammates become better. Picture: Adam Taylor.Source: News Corp Australia
But not him. He is trying to help them gain a spot in the team and put himself, not at risk, but he is putting more pressure on himself to perform because he is making these kids better.
I only spent 12 months at Manly and saw how he operated there and he was busted all the time.
But it didnt stop how he trained, it didnt stop how he played. People wouldnt know what he went through to play every week.
SANDOWS FUTURE
There has been speculation the Eels are desperate to sign one of Manlys gun halves for 2016 and Kieran Foran seems the perfect fit.
Meanwhile, Sandow is going into his final year.
Chris Sandow steps on the gas. Pic Stephen Cooper.
Chris Sandow steps on the gas. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia
Arthur makes no excuses for the fact Sandows future will be determined by form.
Though Arthur was impressed with how Sandow salvaged his career this year to finish as Parramattas players player.
I think everyone thought every award would go to Jarryd but I was really glad Chris got it, Arthur says. But I think while he had a good season he can still be better and improving himself physically will be the difference because we all know what he can do.
He made big improvements in 2014 and how he has come back for pre-season has been above what I was expecting.
He has direction, he is on a mission. You can just tell he wants to make sure he is one of the number one halfbacks in the comp next year and he is going to step up if there is a void left by Jarryd to fill.
He was around 87-88 kg mark last year when we first came back. He finished the season at 85 and now he has himself at 83 kg.
I also think with Chris, even if he wasnt off contract, he was
over wasting his career.
HOPPAS RESURRECTION
No Parramatta player is going to face more scrutiny than the man who fills Haynes No. 1 jumper. So is Hopoate ready for that challenge?
I dont want to put too many expectations on Will, Arthur says.
We want him to be powerful and strong and he is getting stronger and we need him to be a bit more explosive and faster and he is doing work on that.
It is just going to take a bit of time and this time next year he will be better again.
But I think he is looking forward to the opportunity to go back to fullback.
Will is professional. Dedicated. He gives himself every opportunity to be successful.
I thought come the middle of the year he was really starting to improve and play better footy because he was getting better physically but then he got that shoulder injury in Origin and after that we were just band-aiding him up to get him through the season.
Will Hopoate: Dedicated and professional says his coach. Picture: Adam Taylor
Will Hopoate: Dedicated and professional says his coach. Picture: Adam TaylorSource: News Corp Australia
He wasnt able to do the physical work he needed just to be an NRL player let alone someone who was out of the game for two years (during his Mormon mission). Now he he has had a really good pre-season.
As for the loss of Hayne, Arthur says its everyones job to take ownership.
I know Chrissy is already thinking about it, Arthur says.
We have a few off contract and I think we are in a really good place.
Darcy Lussick is off. Will Hop is off. We have signed a few moving forward but some of them are only on one year deals. They are all players we want to keep but I want to keep them hungry as well.
THE MAN
In Arthurs humble opinion, the best description anyone ever gave of him is that he is your typical Aussie bum.
The kind of bloke happy to go for a beer with his mates dressed in thongs, footy shorts and a T-shirt.
Or having the parents of his sons footy team over for a barbecue after the game, where the 40-year-old father-of-three still juggles coaching the local Rouse Hill Rhinos under 12s with his hectic schedule of rebuilding Parramatta into an NRL premiership force. A colleague once said about this guy: Brad doesnt bullshit to you because he doesnt know how to.
Arthur smiled at that.
Coach Brad Arthur takes Parramatta Eels training at Richie Benaud Oval, Parramatta. Pic S
Coach Brad Arthur takes Parramatta Eels training at Richie Benaud Oval, Parramatta. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia
For me as a coach it is about honesty, he says.
It is black and white. It doesnt always help me but at least the boys always know exactly where they stand.
The expectations from me is that we will be a better team in 2015 then we were in 2014.
That is what I expect.
But even though Arthur only last month extended his contract until the end of 2017, he says bluntly: I am under no illusions that it is a result-driven business.
I am not thinking about 2017. I am thinking about the start of 2015 and getting us in the best shape that we can be in.
We still have a young side which is good, its a positive for Parramatta fans. But we are not saying we are going to do this in 2017 or 16. We want to improve right now.
BRAD Arthur calls them puppy dog eyes.
The Parramatta coach is explaining Anthony Watmoughs influence on the young Eels forwards.
Arthur speaks about Watmoughs hard edge. He admits it is what the Eels lacked in 2014.
You ask how they overcome the loss of Jarryd Hayne?
Can Will Hopoate fill Haynes boots?
And what about Chris Sandow, will it be his last year in blue and gold despite his redemption this year?
Three months out from the start of the 2015 NRL season, the usually media shy Eels coach sat down with The Daily Telegraph and opened up about the year ahead.
He spoke about solidarity in the club, from the board to the administration and coaching staff right down to players at the tail-end of his 39-man squad.
After years of infighting, he says, the club is finally pulling in one direction.
But above all else, the message we got is why Arthur thinks Watmough a 288 NRL game veteran who comes with a body bashed up by 13 years of running through brick walls is worth every cent the Eels paid for him.
CHOCS CULTURE CHANGE
Weve heard what Watmough thinks of Arthur. How the NRL warhorse rates this NRL rookie coach the best he has played under.
Now its Arthurs turn to return a compliment.
It is not so much with Choc do as I say, it is do as I do, Arthur says. And he is outstanding shape. He is a little bit heavier and he is leaner and he is stronger.
Anthony Watmough during sprint training. Pic Stephen Cooper.
Anthony Watmough during sprint training. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia He has put on a couple of kilos of muscle. He just looks fit.
And without making a big song and dance about it he has grabbed a few of the young boys and given them a few tips about things the others boys probably wouldnt see.
These young boys are looking at him with big puppy dog eyes every time he opens his mouth.
I dont want him coming here and thinking that he has got to try and save the world but the things that he is doing at the moment show very good signs of leadership.
And while Arthur still hasnt named who will join Tim Mannah as co-captain next year in place of Hayne, he says Watmough will lead by example.
The thing is with Choc, I wouldnt need to put the C next to his name or as a co-captain because it wouldnt change what he is doing, Arthur continues.
You can have a lot of senior players who would not do what he is doing because of the competition and that they are worried about the young blokes taking their spot.
Parramatta new recruit Anthony Watmough is already helping his young teammates become bet
Parramatta new recruit Anthony Watmough is already helping his young teammates become better. Picture: Adam Taylor.Source: News Corp Australia
But not him. He is trying to help them gain a spot in the team and put himself, not at risk, but he is putting more pressure on himself to perform because he is making these kids better.
I only spent 12 months at Manly and saw how he operated there and he was busted all the time.
But it didnt stop how he trained, it didnt stop how he played. People wouldnt know what he went through to play every week.
SANDOWS FUTURE
There has been speculation the Eels are desperate to sign one of Manlys gun halves for 2016 and Kieran Foran seems the perfect fit.
Meanwhile, Sandow is going into his final year.
Chris Sandow steps on the gas. Pic Stephen Cooper.
Chris Sandow steps on the gas. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia
Arthur makes no excuses for the fact Sandows future will be determined by form.
Though Arthur was impressed with how Sandow salvaged his career this year to finish as Parramattas players player.
I think everyone thought every award would go to Jarryd but I was really glad Chris got it, Arthur says. But I think while he had a good season he can still be better and improving himself physically will be the difference because we all know what he can do.
He made big improvements in 2014 and how he has come back for pre-season has been above what I was expecting.
He has direction, he is on a mission. You can just tell he wants to make sure he is one of the number one halfbacks in the comp next year and he is going to step up if there is a void left by Jarryd to fill.
He was around 87-88 kg mark last year when we first came back. He finished the season at 85 and now he has himself at 83 kg.
I also think with Chris, even if he wasnt off contract, he was
over wasting his career.
HOPPAS RESURRECTION
No Parramatta player is going to face more scrutiny than the man who fills Haynes No. 1 jumper. So is Hopoate ready for that challenge?
I dont want to put too many expectations on Will, Arthur says.
We want him to be powerful and strong and he is getting stronger and we need him to be a bit more explosive and faster and he is doing work on that.
It is just going to take a bit of time and this time next year he will be better again.
But I think he is looking forward to the opportunity to go back to fullback.
Will is professional. Dedicated. He gives himself every opportunity to be successful.
I thought come the middle of the year he was really starting to improve and play better footy because he was getting better physically but then he got that shoulder injury in Origin and after that we were just band-aiding him up to get him through the season.
Will Hopoate: Dedicated and professional says his coach. Picture: Adam Taylor
Will Hopoate: Dedicated and professional says his coach. Picture: Adam TaylorSource: News Corp Australia
He wasnt able to do the physical work he needed just to be an NRL player let alone someone who was out of the game for two years (during his Mormon mission). Now he he has had a really good pre-season.
As for the loss of Hayne, Arthur says its everyones job to take ownership.
I know Chrissy is already thinking about it, Arthur says.
We have a few off contract and I think we are in a really good place.
Darcy Lussick is off. Will Hop is off. We have signed a few moving forward but some of them are only on one year deals. They are all players we want to keep but I want to keep them hungry as well.
THE MAN
In Arthurs humble opinion, the best description anyone ever gave of him is that he is your typical Aussie bum.
The kind of bloke happy to go for a beer with his mates dressed in thongs, footy shorts and a T-shirt.
Or having the parents of his sons footy team over for a barbecue after the game, where the 40-year-old father-of-three still juggles coaching the local Rouse Hill Rhinos under 12s with his hectic schedule of rebuilding Parramatta into an NRL premiership force. A colleague once said about this guy: Brad doesnt bullshit to you because he doesnt know how to.
Arthur smiled at that.
Coach Brad Arthur takes Parramatta Eels training at Richie Benaud Oval, Parramatta. Pic S
Coach Brad Arthur takes Parramatta Eels training at Richie Benaud Oval, Parramatta. Pic Stephen Cooper.Source: News Corp Australia
For me as a coach it is about honesty, he says.
It is black and white. It doesnt always help me but at least the boys always know exactly where they stand.
The expectations from me is that we will be a better team in 2015 then we were in 2014.
That is what I expect.
But even though Arthur only last month extended his contract until the end of 2017, he says bluntly: I am under no illusions that it is a result-driven business.
I am not thinking about 2017. I am thinking about the start of 2015 and getting us in the best shape that we can be in.
We still have a young side which is good, its a positive for Parramatta fans. But we are not saying we are going to do this in 2017 or 16. We want to improve right now.
