Peter Peters: Time for Hindy to walk away
28/3/2012 08:53 AM
Peter Peters
Sportal
As usual it looks like it's going to be up to me to cut through all the crap and niceties and tell it like it is, so here we go.
If Parramatta want to save their fast disappearing season then they need to pension off skipper Nathan Hindmarsh - effective immediately.
Hindy has clearly gone a season or two too long and you would have thought someone by now would have had the courage to tap him on the shoulder and deliver the pink slip.
But strong leadership is obviously in short supply at the Eels and they are walking away from the tough decisions.
Hindmarsh has been a wonderful servant for the blue and golds across more than 300 first grade games.
He is rightly held in high esteem at the club and is regarded as one of the game's good blokes.
But that doesn't mean he is immune to criticism.
If you listened to his many media darlings you'd swear the bloke was a cross between Ray Price, Peter Sterling and Mick Cronin.
Hindmarsh is a hard-working backrower with a big heart, a bigger bum crack and limited ball skills.
He is showing signs of fatigue, the years of carrying the under-performing Eels on his shoulders obviously taking its toll.
We'd all like to play forever but everyone has his use-by date.
It's time Hindmarsh moved on and allowed a younger player to take his place.
And while we're on the subject of tough decisions, someone at Parramatta should call Stephen Kearney in for a chat and tell him to flick the New Zealand job.
The last thing the rookie NRL coach needs is the burden of preparing an international side while things on the home front are so dire.
Both David Furner and John Cartwright quit rep postings last year when they realised they couldnt juggle both.
Kearney is stubbornly refusing to give up the Kiwis gig and that's perhaps a sign of his immaturity as a coach.
This is a bloke who's had a lot of success riding on the coat-tails of Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett.
He was hailed as some sort of coaching messiah when he dropped his bags at Parramatta's front door, but so far it's been nothing short of a disaster.
There's been just six wins in his 28 games in charge and I can't see where the next victory is coming from.
I do, however, expect them to give Manly a real shake on Parramatta Stadium's newly laid turf this Saturday night.
The Sea Eagles are weeks away from fielding their strongest side due to suspension and injury and look a touch vulnerable at the moment.
But I am still backing them to get the money along with other Round 5 winners Melbourne, Brisbane, Penrith, Warriors, Canterbury, Souths and Canberra.
Until next week ...
