Poupou Escobar
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Flock!What do they do together?
Flock!What do they do together?
Although, you know, they were a very, very strong side with an exceptional coach.In 1981 we were lucky enough to play Newtown ffs, who hadn't made the finals since 1973.
And said he can play a few positions but might get time in the middle
What converted you?I was a little kid and didn't give a shit. I thought of Parra like I think of the Storm/Roosters/Panthers now. How could you get excited about such a team? It'd be like supporting Bayern Munich.
In fact I didn't start caring about the Eels until about 1991.
Well Flock you, too.Flock!
He also said the Lomax signing was imminent. He was pretty coy about a player swap to get him this year and stated that it was up to Mark O’Neill to work out.He also said Asi didn't get rewarded with a first grade spot when Moses went down as he wasn't playing well and didn't want to reward him for that. Had to work on things before getting brought up.
That's good to hear actually. Wish they asked about Sivo!
He also said the Lomax signing was imminent. He was pretty coy about a player swap to get him this year and stated that it was up to Mark O’Neill to work out.
So was blaize form really good in nsw cup?He also said Asi didn't get rewarded with a first grade spot when Moses went down as he wasn't playing well and didn't want to reward him for that. Had to work on things before getting brought up.
That's good to hear actually. Wish they asked about Sivo!
So was blaize form really good in nsw cup?
I was always a Parra fan. Both sides of my family are/were mad keen Eels fans. I just wasn’t excited about them until about 1991. I think because that’s when I realised they were underdogs, and the eighties were an exceptional time. My old man told me how shit the Eels were when he was a youngster, and how seasons like ‘87-91 were pretty normal in his experience.What converted you?
Why wait?So when we finally jag a comp, Pou will switch and go for the Titans. Loves an underdog.
So that player option is probably what all the talk and return to the NRL bench is all about, I reckon. Reassuring Blaize that his path to first grade isn't blocked by Lomax's arrival next season.Talagi is out of contract himself at the end of the year but can trigger an option in his current deal to stay put for 2025.
He would be a tantalising prospect for rival clubs, particularly as Lomax's arrival is set to create competition for spots in the back-line from next season.
But firm on keeping him at Parramatta, Arthur said Talagi could one day be the Eels' fullback behind a Moses and Dylan Brown halves pairing.
"We're not in hurry to replace Gutho because he's our captain and we can't win without him," Arthur said.
"(But) Blaize is 19 and he's got 15 years ahead of him, so he's still got plenty of time to learn that role.
"I'm probably thinking that fullback long-term will probably suit him, especially in our team when you've got those two halves that are going to be there for a long, long time."
I hope he learns more from Gutho then what Jarryd did off Burt.So that player option is probably what all the talk and return to the NRL bench is all about, I reckon. Reassuring Blaize that his path to first grade isn't blocked by Lomax's arrival next season.
So I predict we might see Blaize utilised on the wing in first grade next year, prepping him for a move to fullback in 2026 - kind of like Hayne learnt/was mentored on the wing, before he took over first grade fullback from Luke Burt.
Which means Sivo, Russell and Simonssen might be fighting for one "first choice" spot between them next season... assuming Lomax is used at centre (as his reported distaste for wing would seem to imply).
Plenty of talk again this week, it’s normally when we offer very little on the field.
Extension is pending. At least we get to keep Matt Arthur. He’s the best I’ve seen in lower grades since Tim Smith and Jarryd Hayne.Eels out to silence Arthur's critics
Bryce Cartwright was "p***ed off" by external speculation about Brad Arthur's future and says Parramatta's players have it in their power to silence the coach's critics once and for all.
Prior to Saturday's defeat of North Queensland, the Eels had lost both their games since Mitch Moses went down with a fractured foot in round three as they struggled to readjust to life without their star half.
Arthur shrugged off speculation about his future following the Eels hefty round-five loss to Canberra, with Parramatta chief executive Jim Sarantinos taking the rare step of defending the long-standing coach in the media.
Internally, the criticism was hurting the players.
"To be honest, it p***ed me off a little bit," second-rower Cartwright said.
"I know how much Brad does for the team and for everyone who's come here and has played here.
"He's the best coach I've had. I don't want to be coached by anyone else."
Cartwright said conjecture over Arthur's position at the Eels had motivated him to recover quickly from a rib injury and line up against the Cowboys last week.
"I wanted to get back on the field as soon as I could," he said.
As the Eels look to continue their winning ways against the Dolphins in Darwin on Friday, they're also eyeing the chance to reaffirm their coach's credentials.
"Brad's got all our support," Cartwright said.
"We just need to keep winning games and (then) that stuff doesn't get spoken about.
"I know none of us would want to be coached by anyone else."
No player better exemplifies Arthur's abilities as a man manager than Cartwright, whose career was at a crossroads when he arrived at the Eels in 2021.
The 29-year-old had been contemplating returning to park football before Arthur transformed him into one of the NRL's elite second-rowers last season.
He has developed a defensive grit that eluded him even in his days as an elite young talent at Penrith.
"He's gotten extremely tough over the last couple of years," five-eighth Dylan Brown, who is playing on Cartwright's right edge while Moses is out, said.
"His defence has gone through the roof."
Cartwright has long credited Arthur for his turnaround.
"(Arthur) has really looked after me ever since I got here, he's been patient with me," he said.
"I've built a really good relationship with him and he has that with all his players."
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Eels out to silence Arthur's critics
Back in the winners' circle after a shaky start to 2024, Parramatta are out to put an end...www.canberratimes.com.au