Eels in the media

[Matty Bhoy]

Knives out already. To be expected I guess.

 

[Eelogical]

Agreed. Love what Jr did this year.

Our best, most consistent player. What do you reckon @Happy MEel ?

 

[Avenger]

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has reached a crossroad in his career, as the club searches for answers on a season that promised so much but delivered an all-too-familiar result.

Saturday's loss to South Sydney marked Arthur's fifth finals defeat in six appearances, the third time in four years the Eels have crashed out of contention in week two of the play-offs.


Few would dispute what Arthur has managed to build at the Eels, assembling a roster that is capable of winning a premiership. But as the dust settles on the reality of their shortcomings, there remains a huge question mark over the mental fortitude of his team, and how much he has to evolve as a coach to harden a perceived soft underbelly.

The Eels sat down as a group six weeks ago and were shown vision of Nine commentator Phil Gould declaring they were "kidding themselves" if they thought they were a chance at winning the title.


They just haven't got the underbelly, they haven't got it under the shirt," Gould said on 100% Footy. "I've looked at some of their second halves this year against quality sides - they've frittered away big leads."

The criticism stung, but six weeks later they did as Gould foreshadowed and surrendered an 18-8 half-time lead against the Rabbitohs at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night to see their season slip away. They "capitulated", the coach said after the game.


Arthur tried to use the chorus of criticism surrounding his team to light a fire that would inspire a run for the title. Unfortunately, the run never came. Arthur, an old-school players' coach, has been afforded every opportunity to prove his way is the right way.

The club has backed him. But while his way isn't necessarily the wrong way, the club will now demand he works with head of football Mark O'Neill in the off-season to find a better way to ensure results improve in 2021.


Arthur has been somewhat reluctant to embrace the power of mindfulness when it comes to impacting results with the coach prioritising football matters over mental ones.

While the players all love playing under Arthur given how staunch he is in their support, there is a concern at the club and an understanding from the coach that mollycoddling the players may have only exacerbated a potential mental weakness.

Arthur has proved himself as a coach who can lead teams through adversity. He's now transformed into a coach who can produce regular finals appearances. The next step is there to be taken and while the club would love nothing more than to see him make it, the option of someone else doing so could become a reality if the Eels fail to capitalise on a premiership window that Arthur has helped force open.

The club recently handed Arthur a one year contract extension that sees him through until the end of 2022, but with Craig Bellamy, Trent Robinson and Wayne Bennett all off contract at the end of next season, don't expect the Eels to let an opportunity slip.

Nathan Brown took St George Illawarra to four finals appearances in five years between 2004 and 2008, failing to turn the opportunities into a grand final. It took Bennett's arrival for the club to finally shake the chokers' tag and end a 31-year drought in 2010. Parramatta now stand at 34 years and counting.

Great article. Next year will be his last year. He will get an extra years pay for his services and then be boned by mutual consent.

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

Great article. Next year will be his last year. He will get an extra years pay for his services and then be boned by mutual consent.

It does look a bit like the beginning of the end.

 

[Kornstar]

Great article. Next year will be his last year. He will get an extra years pay for his services and then be boned by mutual consent.

Which is all well and good but with who? A 72 year Bennett? Craig "i want to work part time" Bellamy or Trent Robinson who apparently needs to get back to France for family reasons?

No point replacing him if we go backwards with another Kearney.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Bennett is part extra-terrestrial. He will probably live to 130.

 

[Eelogical]

Great article. Next year will be his last year. He will get an extra years pay for his services and then be boned by mutual consent.

Let's hope the pokie players spend up big.

 

[Avenger]

It does look a bit like the beginning of the end.

History repeats. Before we won our comps we had a coach similar to Arthur. (Terry Fearnley) Good guy but couldn’t jag a comp. Lost two grand finals. Then we hired Jack Gibson and the rest is history. Arthur is an inferior version of Fearnley.

 

[Avenger]

Which is all well and good but with who? A 72 year Bennett? Craig "i want to work part time" Bellamy or Trent Robinson who apparently needs to get back to France for family reasons?

No point replacing him if we go backwards with another Kearney.

Like I said in another thread if Trump can lead the most powerful nation on earth then Bennett can coach well into his 70’s.

 

[Gronk]

Great article. Next year will be his last year. He will get an extra years pay for his services and then be boned by mutual consent.

Well when Max and the Board appointed a GM of Footy, they said that there would be no more rebuilding phases. They will put together a good roster an expect results.

If they achieve a few more quality signings, then I agree BA has no excuse not to go all the way.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Like I said in another thread if Trump can lead the most powerful nation on earth then Bennett can coach well into his 70’s.

I hope Bennett is more effective than Trump.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

You only change coaches if there is a better option, I reckon the best chance of getting an elite coach may be Robinson.

Roosters have Fitzgibbon as an assistant who wasn’t willing to take a head coach role, so he probably is probably hoping for the Roosters job one day (and Nick is a fan).

next year Robbo has been at the roosters 10 years, he may just be looking for another challenge. Additionally he has history with the eels. And with Fitz there the Roosters may just also be ok with letting Robbo.

It’s a long shot, but definitely the best option I reckon. Bennett will be ok too but is he up to another gig after finishing with Souths? While Bellamy is no chance.

The other option is Flanagan, yeah he has a poor reputation, but gee his sides are hard to beat and play tough footy. And how much did the poor resources force his hand? He seems to be a “winner”. How would he go at a well resourced club?

 

[Kornstar]

Like I said in another thread if Trump can lead the most powerful nation on earth then Bennett can coach well into his 70’s.

I know he can but does he want to is all. Our luck he will take it up and lose interest and put in a half arsed effort.

I know we need a next level coach, don't confuse my supporting Arthur with thinking he can jag us a premiership but this club needs a proven winner but there are not many around and the ones that are may not be interested.

Add this stage it may be best to continue to recruit better players and see if he can get us to week 3 until a better option becomes available.

 

[IFR33K]

Good to see that the people that matter aren’t just content on making the semis. Maybe BA is the coach for us, maybe he does need better assistance.


Hopefully someone comes in with a bit of experience. Toovey, Fittler or even JT.

 

[Happy MEel]

Our best, most consistent player. What do you reckon @Happy MEel ?

Hard to argue with that. He was sensational.

 

[Gazzamatta]

I think its a fair article. Many supporters have had this belief for some time but the media have generally given BA a free pass based on his preformance during the SC Scandal. Im kind of glad that its now a media focus. I was always of the opinion that we had an outstanding roster this season and there would be no excuses if we didnt maximise our opportunity. I also believe we showed that level early on but inexplicably our team regressed to old habbits and our coach continued, as we were, not making changes, not getting alternates ready for potential late season issues/injurys and hoping that improvements in our "effort" would solve those and other issues.
It didnt.
Obviously it was a successful season but it could have been even better.
My summation of our season is that our improvement early generally came from,
1) Increased fitness. Well done Elkin and whoever contracted him.
2) The signings of RCG and Matterson and the improved defence those two bought individually to the team.
I really dont think other than those points our team performed any better this season to last and in fact some players actually went backwards.
I do believe that our Board, CEO and HoF, while pleased with our year, would have wanted more and Im sure they are not patting themselves on the back. They know more needs to be done and are not fooled into thinking that greater "effort" will resolve the issues that exist. If they dont then we have the wrong people in charge.
Anyway roll on 2021. Thank God for footy in this horrible year. I know it helped me from not going even more crazy.
Go The Mighty Eels.

 

[Avenger]

Funny how they used Gould’s comments as motivation yet kept capitulating in the second half exactly how Gould predicted.

What pea-hearts.

 

[IFR33K]

Funny how they used Gould’s comments as motivation yet kept capitulating in the second half exactly how Gould predicted.

What pea-hearts.

Gould was 100% spot on I have no idea why people took his comments with a grain of salt. The writing was on the wall weeks ago, whether the team was fatigued or just lost form, it didn’t seem like the coaching staff changed the regime. Yeah we have some weaknesses but we have a roster capable of doing so much. Just another wasted season that promised the world early on.

 

[hineyrulz]

Gould was 100% spot on I have no idea why people took his comments with a grain of salt. The writing was on the wall weeks ago, whether the team was fatigued or just lost form, it didn’t seem like the coaching staff changed the regime. Yeah we have some weaknesses but we have a roster capable of doing so much. Just another wasted season that promised the world early on.

Because Gus is a fat merkin, but when It comes to matters on this club he is normally 100% correct.

 

[hineyrulz]

Good to see people at the club aren’t happy with how the season just withered away and died, I think Bea has got next year to have a crack with hopefully a few more signings to bolster the roster and if we still look like we aren’t a contender he has to go.

Two new assistants are a must IMO, and if he isn’t happy with that then too bad.