Sterlo:
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After the buoyant second half of the 2017 season it has been a dismal 2018 campaign which appears now certain to end in a 16th position finish, our third wooden spoon in seven seasons.
With what we have in our favour we should be perennial finalists which makes such a lowly position on the ladder very difficult to take. With a junior nursery the envy of the majority of clubs, a strong and supportive leagues club, excellent facilities which will soon include a state of the art stadium and the most loyal supporters in the league, the Eels should be setting the trend for others to follow. We are seemingly a sleeping giant that has been asleep way too long.
Obviously a brutally honest appraisal is in order to give an insight as to why we have fallen behind other clubs in search of consistent success and that elusive premiership title.
Hopefully the current internal review will give a clear insight as to what areas need to be addressed and what steps across the board need to be taken to rectify the situation.
When your side puts together a season of such disappointment the coach clearly is in the spotlight. Brad Arthur has said that the buck stops with him and that is an admirable position to take. Although it is never that simple.
I don’t know whether he needs further help in the coaching department, I am not privy to the day to day preparation of the side, so am in no position to make an assessment in that area.
However, I do believe he is the right man to be in charge going into next year and has enough credit points banked to try and turn the team’s fortunes in 2019. He did a wonderful job to guide the side into 4th spot and finals football last year, on the back of leading the club through some extremely difficult and trying times prior to that. It is clear that he has a solid relationship with the playing roster, one based on honesty and accountability.
I know as a player that is exactly what I was looking for from the coach. That said, next year is a make or break one for Brad that will solely be judged on results.
© Provided by Nine Digital Pty Ltd NRL Press Conference: Parramatta Eels - Round 24
One area that I do think needs to be closely assessed is the club’s recruitment in recent times.
I’m not convinced that we have necessarily brought the right type of player into the club in some instances. Talent alone is never enough and I hope that an individual’s character is a major consideration when we are looking to import a player to wear the blue and gold jersey.
The game’s greatest ever coach Jack Gibson said that whilst a player could have all the ability and talent in the world, he only ever asked himself one question as a coach and that was “can I win with him?”
That determination was made as much about the individual as to the person he was off the field as it was about how he ran, passed and tackled.
I said two years ago that I felt the club needed to bring in a big-bodied, class front-rower to bolster the ranks. At the time some saw it as a sleight on the forwards already there but that was not the case.
When playing at their best our forwards were a tough, aggressive, uncompromising pack that hunted well together but I felt that we lacked that individual that could dominate the middle and demand the ascendency.
I still feel that was the case and was disappointed when the likes of Jordan McLean, Russell Packer, Ben Matulino, James Graham and Herman Ese’ese left clubs and went elsewhere.
Whilst in the twilight of his career, an old hard head like Graham would have been invaluable exerting his influence and leadership both on and off the field for a couple of seasons.
© Provided by Nine Digital Pty LtdPaulo to take up big money Eels offer
Which brings us to the recruitments made for next year. I will not be critical this far out but will say that there are question marks.
Junior Paulo left the club a few seasons back in a move made to get away from the Sydney lifestyle and some questionable company that he was apparently keeping. He comes back on bigger money and a 4-year contract but begging the question, is he a better player now than when he left?
He is certainly the big body I was talking about but can he play the amount of minutes to have the necessary impact that we require? I hope so and that he proves to be the foundation on which team performances are built.
Shaun Lane has enjoyed a wonderful season for Manly in a year from hell for the Sea Eagles. He has managed to play every game under Trent Barrett and not long ago was up there with the team’s top try scorers.
It has taken quite a while to establish himself as a regular top grader and sometimes a player who has been at 4 clubs in the space of 5 years can set off alarm bells. Hopefully this season is a watershed one for him and he can bring his current form to the west.
© Provided by Nine Digital Pty Ltd
Blake Ferguson is another who has enjoyed a bumper season and has been as effective as any winger on a weekly basis in the competition. There has never been any doubting what he offers through his size, speed and experience.
As we know Blake has carried baggage for much of his career but to his credit he seems to have gotten things very much back on track away from the paddock. It is essential that is maintained when moving away from what has been an effective cocoon in the eastern suburbs.
The other question marks are around those already at the club in Corey Norman, Jarryd Hayne and Bevan French.
The fact that Corey has been told if he can get an opportunity elsewhere then Parra wouldn’t stand in his way, clearly shows that the club don’t see him as part of the plans in going forward. At his best he is a class performer and easy to fall in love with, we just haven’t seen enough of that this year.
Playing in the halves demands consistency which I felt we saw plenty of in his partnering of Mitchell Moses in their run to the finals last year. I really felt with that under their belt and another full off-season we would see their combination really blossom, it has been particularly disappointing that didn’t eventuate.
I still think he could be beneficial to the club if he has his priorities in order.
© Provided by Nine Digital Pty LtdNorman on the outer at the Eels
Jarryd has been our best player over the last 7 weeks and I would like to think his future will be an easy one to settle. The club would like to keep him, Jarryd seems to be enjoying his football and is highly involved and engaged, it would seem to me that if the price is right then a deal should be done.
Finally, young Bevan French has been the odd man out and unable to hold down his place in the top 17.
His lack of size was always going to be concern but pure speed helps overcome many difficulties. I know there is a real concern in the club that he doesn’t offer enough when bringing the ball off their own line. They are the toughest carries in the game and tremendously important.
The effectiveness of Cronulla’s outside backs in doing so, won them a competition in 2016. Bevan can be a match-winner, his pace worries opposition players but his lack of bulk doesn’t. Still when I look at the Dragons’ Matt Dufty I get confidence that he can still be a key member of next year’s squad.
© Provided by Nine Digital Pty Ltd'Hayne Plane' turns on the magic
Like all Parramatta fans I am waiting to see what the internal review reveals and how the club deals with what will be a raft of concerns.
However, when it comes to team performance I’m not concerned with any such investigation.
I prefer to trust my eyes and what I saw this year was too often a lack of resolve and resistance when things weren’t going our way. Until we can draw a line in the sand and say “no more, we stop it here”, success will continue to elude us.
We need to be a mentally tough football team, who treats every play as the most important in the game (because it is) and one that will never get beaten on effort and enthusiasm. The ball is in our court.”
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