Fiery meeting brewing for Eels
PARRAMATTA'S frustrating season is set to explode at tomorrow night's annual meeting after former player Steve Sharp claimed he was ready to speak out over the lack of progress under the existing board.
Sharp, who ran at the last election of the Parramatta Leagues Club, could push for an extraordinary meeting to allow the members to overthrow the directors.
That seems unlikely, but there's no hiding the discontent among Eels fans over the club's performances this season.
Supporters bombarded chatrooms on Parramatta websites yesterday as they prepared to vent their fury at tomorrow's meeting.
Under Parramatta's unique structure, the leagues club board is responsible for the NRL side's operations.
In the past two years, those operations have been woeful.
There had been suggestions the club was looking to bring in someone to help coach Stephen Kearney, with former coach Jason Taylor the mooted candidate.
However, it now appears that is unlikely to happen. The club's progress under Kearney is expected to be a discussion point tomorrow night, but of more concern for the supporters is the performance of the board and several star players, most notably Chris Sandow and Jarryd Hayne.
Sandow spent most of Friday night's loss to Canterbury on the interchange bench, while Hayne looked uninterested as the Eels slumped to their eighth loss of the season.
Sharp said the club's predicament was becoming distressing for supporters and he pointed the finger at the board, which promised a successful football club.
"They aren't completing the job they were hoping to," Sharp said. "For the last three years we have run 13th, 14th and potentially 16th this year.
"To me that's not acceptable. I am sure the (ARL Commission) is worried about it.
"I implore people to get down there and voice their opinion.
"If we can get 1000 people to turn up that would be fantastic. It's up to those people to get themselves off their backside.
"If we can convene an extraordinary general meeting (that would be great)."
The Eels' woeful season reached a new low in the loss to Canterbury on Friday night.
Kearney made no attempt to hide his disappointment with his side's capitulation, saying it lacked "toughness" to overcome setbacks during games.
Sandow notably sat on the interchange bench for most of the game. The form of the club's $550,000-a-season recruit has been symptomatic of the Eels' season.
So have the efforts of Hayne. One moment he looks dangerous, the next bored.
There had been suggestions the club could hire Taylor or another coach to work alongside Kearney.
The Australian understands that will not happen.
Kearney already has two assistant coaches on his staff, including Brad Arthur, who he lured north from Melbourne Storm. "I have been an advocate of change on the board for a long time," Sharp said.
"I put my hand up the last time elections were held.
"I will be putting my hand up next time, along with some other high-profile people."
Sharp defended Kearney.
"I have had an opportunity to get to know Steve," he said.
"I think he has got the right philosophy for where he wants to take the club.
"Things aren't happening right at the moment. I think some of the personnel we have on the football part are a bit overrated and some of them are overpaid."
