STEPHEN KEARNEY is set to be offered the Parramatta coaching job when Daniel Anderson is officially sacked this week.
Anderson's dismissal, with a year remaining on his contract, is expected to be ratified at an Eels board meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The issue of Anderson's tenure came to a head yesterday following radio reports of a racial vilification issue between Anderson and departing forward Feleti Mateo.
2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley claimed that Mateo would make racially based complaints against Anderson if the coach refused to stand down from his post.
Mateo denied the allegations via an Eels media release, which stated: ''I have been told about a report on radio saying that I had complained about a racial issue regarding Daniel, and that it had been brought up in discussion about the coaching situation at the club. That is absolutely not true.
''I spoke with Ando today to clarify this and there is no issue. There has been no racial comments that have upset me, let alone been anything I have complained to the club about. Nothing of the sort has anything to do with me leaving to play with the Warriors.
''What the club does on the coaching front, or anything to do with the board and management, has nothing to do with me and I am disappointed my name has been brought into this.''
Chief executive Paul Osborne added: "No issue between Feleti and Daniel has ever been raised with the club and suggestions to the contrary are completely false. I've spoken to Daniel today and it's the first either of us had heard of this supposed complaint. It didn't happen.''
On a tumultuous day for the club, the much-anticipated review of the club's horror season was emailed to directors. The review, conducted by Osborne and board members Geoff Gerard and Glenn Duncan, did not make any recommendations regarding the tenure of Anderson.
Some board members had discussed the possibility of replacing Anderson with former Cronulla mentor Ricky Stuart, but it's understood the majority want Kearney to take over from next year.
''You're the first call I have had about it,'' Stuart said yesterday about links to the Parramatta job.
Eels officials had considered extending the tenure of Anderson for a further two years. However, that is no longer an option and the club will have to pay out the remaining $300,000 of his contract.
Anderson didn't return calls but his manager, Jim Banaghan, said: ''I spoke to Paul Osborne after I heard those rumours and he assured me there will be a board meeting on Tuesday and if he knows anything more he'll give me a ring.
''Normally with these rumours, where there is smoke there is fire.''
Duncan, a recent appointee to the board and the managing director of Eels major sponsor Pirtek, spoke of the challenges facing the club, which were outlined in the review.
''As a businessman, I was shocked there were no structures, policies, procedures or disciplines in place,'' Duncan said. ''I thought of Parramatta as the envy of other clubs as far as structure but it had all fallen away. There was not even a one-year plan let alone a three- or five-year plan.''
Asked his view on the coaching situation, Duncan said: ''If we're not going to extend Daniel's contract
and the way things are going that is not the view [of the board]
then I'm in favour of making a change.
''If you put Stephen Kearney's name up and you asked me is he someone who could put in disciplined structures and a playing style for the future - yes, he can.
''But we need to start with some disciplines and structures first. That's my personal view.''
with Daniel Lane
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...d-as-eels-turn-to-kearney-20100925-15ri8.html
I'd like to know the thoughts of those jumping up and down at the highlighted quote by Mr Duncon who apparently was one of 2 directors who voted to keep him.
