GREG PRICHARD
04 May, 2012 03:00 AM
THE Parramatta board last night answered rampant speculation about coach Steve Kearney's future by declaring he was safe until the end of next year, regardless of whether the Eels crawl off the bottom of the table.
Mario Libertini, who is regarded as the most influential member of the board, said: ''I'm sick of reading all this rubbish. We're not a club in crisis. The coach has got a contract and we intend to honour that contract, and that won't change regardless of results. The board is united on that.''
Kearney, who has coached Parramatta to just seven wins from 32 games since taking over at the start of last season, is under enormous pressure to get the Eels winning - starting with tonight's big game against arch rivals Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.
It has been reported Kearney, who is contracted until the end of next season, is on a deal worth more than $400,000 annually, and he has a clause in his contract allowing for a full year's payout if he were to be sacked.
Asked about suggestions the board was baulking at sacking Kearney because of the cost, Libertini replied: ''I'm not discussing contracts. All I can do is talk generally and say that if we were in a position where we felt our coach wasn't the right man for the job, it wouldn't faze us to pay him out if we had to.
''We believe Stephen Kearney is the right man for the job. We've taken a decision to move in a direction that includes the coach changing the way things are done here, and if we have to have some short-term pain
to experience long-term gain, then so be it.
''We are going to stick with the coach and rely on him to get us out of the situation we're in. We saw an example of what the team is capable of in the last 15 minutes against Wests Tigers, and I think there has been improvement in a lot of areas over the last four weeks.
''I don't think there's any doubt we're good enough to start winning and climb off the bottom of the competition table. The players enjoy being coached by Steve and we've got a good playing roster. Stability breeds success, so sometimes you've got to bite the bullet and hold firm. We won't get the wooden spoon.''
Earlier this season, the talk out of Parramatta was they were planning to extend Kearney's contract, but there have been no such noises recently. Asked what was happening in that area, Libertini replied: ''I think it makes sense to wait and see when you're talking that far ahead.
''But if things don't improve in the near future it won't become a case of sacking the coach, it will be a case of reviewing the situation to see what else we can do to help him, in terms of support staff, player recruitment or whatever. If we're trying to change the culture, then we have to stick to our guns. A lot of people who know the game rate Steve highly, and when he's trying to do a job he doesn't need the constant speculation. Sometimes, when you're trying to get a structure in place and working, you've got to go through some hard times.''
Neither Parramatta chairman Roy Spagnolo nor chief executive Bob Bentley returned the Herald's phone calls yesterday. Libertini's comments may stun veteran watchers of the game, who are taught by history that things can't continue as they are at Parramatta without there being victims. The team can't seem to win and it appears there are too many people in survival mode.
The assumption is unless there is an immediate and stunning turnaround in their fortunes, something has got to give. Kearney is hardly going to quit - if his time at Parramatta was to end under the current circumstances then his career would be in tatters.
In 12 months from now, the board, which controls the leagues club and NRL club, will face another election. Are they prepared to possibly gamble on their own futures by relying on Kearney to turn things around before the end of this season? Judging by Libertini's comments, the answer is yes.
The board will get a clear idea of what Parramatta fans think about the situation when the club's annual general meeting is held on Tuesday night. There, members will get the chance to ask the board questions related to the team's performance, and Kearney's future. It should be an interesting night. Kearney is clearly going to do it his way, as shown by the way he has dealt with high-priced halfback Chris Sandow and even favourite son, captain Nathan Hindmarsh, who is in his final year.
Sandow was dumped to Parramatta's feeder club, Wentworthville, last week. He has been returned to first grade for the game against the Bulldogs, but only on the bench. The fact he isn't starting has baffled many onlookers, particularly since five-eighth Ben Roberts remains in the starting side.
Against the Tigers, Roberts had arguably the worst individual game of any Parramatta player this season.
Hindmarsh, who is renowned for being an 80-minute player, played only 41 minutes, in two stints, against the Tigers.
