Brad Arthur's vision for battling Eels
Brent Read
The Australian
October 17, 2013 12:00AM
BRAD Arthur has marked his shock return to Parramatta as head coach by playing down concerns over the volatility of the Eels boardroom, setting his side the lofty goal of a place in the top eight and outlining his desire to sit down with halfback Chris Sandow to sort out his future.
Arthur, speaking from Bali where he was enjoying a short holiday with his wife and three children, was still coming to terms with his appointment yesterday after one of the most remarkable coaching pursuits in NRL history.
Like most in the rugby league community, Arthur thought the job of replacing Ricky Stuart was destined to go to Jason Taylor.
However, when the Eels and Taylor were unable to agree on the appointment of a head of football operations - NRL referees coach Daniel Anderson has been earmarked for the role - Parramatta directors voted to terminate talks and offer Arthur a three-year deal.
It shapes as a homecoming for Arthur, who spent this season as an assistant at Manly. He grew up a Parramatta junior, acted as caretaker coach when Steve Kearney was sacked last year and still lives in the area, where he coaches his eldest son's rugby league team.
"I am really happy about it," Arthur said. "I know Parramatta has had their knockers but it has been part of my life since I was a young kid, playing my junior footy at Seven Hills and then coming up through the lower grades, having a stint there with Steve and getting six weeks (as head coach).
"Now to be coaching them, I am very proud to have the opportunity. I want to make a go of it and I know they are going to support me and give me the resources and do what is needed to make a go of it. Hopefully I am there still in five, 10 years' time."
Of all the challenges at Parramatta - the club has finished the past two seasons with the wooden spoon - controlling the volatile boardroom shapes as the most daunting.
Arthur has already had a taste of that. He was chairman Steve Sharp's initial choice to replace Stuart before the board voted in favour of Taylor.
However, talks with Taylor reached a stalemate over the appointment of Anderson, prompting the board to conduct another vote on Tuesday night.
It is understood directors Mario Libertini and Peter Serrao sided with Sharp and deputy chairman Tim Issa, meaning Arthur had the numbers.
Asked about the difficulties in dealing with the Parramatta board and the prospect of former coach Anderson becoming the head of football operations, Arthur said: "It doesn't concern me because they have told me I am the coach and I am going to be part of that process with the footy manager.
"I am going there to coach the team. I am not going there to run the club, I am not going there to try and tell the board what they have to do in running the club.
"I can't see it being an issue. It will only be an issue if I let it be an issue."
There are other issues as well, most notably the form of Sandow. The halfback has been battling well-documented gambling problems but Arthur got the best out of him during his short stint as caretaker coach last year.
"The first step with Chris is I need to sit down with him," Arthur said.
"I haven't had anything to do with him for the past 12 months. I need to sit down, see where he is at, see what he wants to get out of the rest of his football career and then we put a plan in place from there.
"We're going to have the attitude of going out every week to win every game.
"I know that's not going to happen, but that's going to be our attitude.
