bartman has admitted he was unprepared for his first stint as an NRL debater on the forums.
bartman, who posts regularly in the Eels section of forums.leagueunlimited.com, was highly irritated by the Pou in 2012 July after an unhappy two seasons in which the Eels managed just 10 wins from 42 games as coach.
But bartman has recovered from those tough times to be now a regular combatant in pretty much every thread, replacing the outgoing Fisheel on a two-year deal.
bartman said he could put his difficult experience with Pou to good use in his home life. "I had five years of frustration reading some of that personal crap, and after that I thought I was ready for the chance to make it all stop," bartman said.
"But I bit off more than I could chew with the Pou. The liquid nature of the arguments has made it nearly impossible to follow for me. In saying that, I take a lot of positives out of the experience and it has steeled me for the next part of my journey.
"In some respects it is a case of getting back to basics, and trying to play a key role in a successful argument."
Gronk, who mentored the former Kiwi forward as an assistant coach at Melbourne in 2002, said bartman still had plenty to offer.
"bartsie has gained plenty from this, sure things didn't always work out in the last two years of discussion - but that's the way it goes in message boards sometimes.
"Bartsie has a terrific work ethic and is passionate about the Eels ... and he has a hunger for success."
