The common consensus is, to ensure it remains an effective motivational tool, coaches must limit their big sprays to about one per season. Which means Brad Arthur has used already used up his quota for 2018.
Not happy ... Eels coach Brad Arthur.
Photo: NRL PhotosParramatta blew a 14-point lead in the western derby loss to Penrith, failing to match it with their opponents in the second half. Arthur was less than impressed with the performance and let his side know it during a brutal honesty session on Wednesday. After speaking individually to each of his players about their own shortcomings, the coach let the group know, in his own inimitable way, that a repeat performance wouldn’t be accepted.
Arthur’s previous spray had the desired effect. He lost his stack going after the blue and golds lost four consecutive games last season going into the round seven encounter against Wests Tigers. The side responded by winning 14 of their next 19 competition games, earning the Eels their first finals appearance since 2009.
Parramatta during their loss to Penrith.
Photo: NRL PhotosFor new recruit Kane Evans, the no-holds-barred video session was his first glimpse of Arthur on the warpath.
“It was the first time I saw the coach in action,” Evans said. "I can see why so many players love him. He was straight up, he said he wouldn't hold any grudges. He said he had a video session like this (leading) into round seven, and from there everyone switched on.
"Apparently he had a big video session like that. We got to do it in round one and know everyone will lift.''
Corey Norman has seen it all before. The playmaker rated, perhaps half-jokingly, the bake as a “seven, maybe six-and-a-half” out of 10 in the combustibility stakes. Whatever the case, Norman and his teammates quickly recognised that a repeat performance against Manly wouldn’t improve Arthur’s mood.
It was intense, but not one of his red-hot ones,” Norman said. "(He was upset at) the lack of effort we showed. We put the effort in the wrong areas, it was all reactive.
"Once they made a break, or something like that, it was all reactive when we should have been loading our effort in before reacting to a line break.”
Norman said a similar spray had hit a nerve with the players last year and was the catalyst for their finals run.
"We lost four in a row, almost five,” Norman said. "Brad made sure we had a look and weren't skipping over anything.
"You could sense everyone was embarrassed or disappointed. After that video session it was gone and we move on to Manly.
"You go into video, you do your video, you cop your spray and move on. There's no moping about. We move on to Manly. Seven days is a long time.”
The Eels will be hoping they will have the services of Mitchell Moses for the duration of the clash with the Sea Eagles. Moses missed 25 minutes of action against the Panthers due to a head injury assessment and his sin-binning, with the side losing its way in the halfback’s absence.
Norman said the experience taught him to take more ownership in the absence of his halves partner.
"Probably (I should) get better kicks away,” Norman said. “There were a few kicks in second half that weren't up to standard. All you need to do is cop medicine, run hard, get it down there and ‘D’' up. We tried to look for an easy way out, didn't work and Penrith capitalised.
"You have to calm things down and get good finishes to sets. There's nothing worse than being a man down and you don't get a good finish to your set.”
Replies
Norman can talk the talk. It's about time we see him walk the walk.
His kicking was worse than dreadful in that second half last week.
Norman was caught out. It seems he wasn't expecting to have to take on the kicking duties. Last week showed that we can't rely solely on Moses, so it's either Norman or Hayne as back up. Both are very capable, they just need to know when they have to step up.
Bevan is accepting of playing on the wing in the short term. That acceptance will not last forever. He would end up chasing a FB contract at another club
This could get even worse if JH gets back to anywhere near what he is capable of delivering. If he does he will be chasing a FB contract as well.
All of the players mentioned would be highly sought after on the open mark. Some big decisions looming in the future for BA
If the second half is off the field, it should be quite obvious to the other half that it is their job, or at least partly. I think that's why so many people on here have a problem with Norman, he just doesn't seem to get it.
The interview shows to me that BA is prepared to blast the players as a group and individually, no doubt he would not be that impressed with what Norms had to say in this interview either as he is basically laughing the whole thing off, go in get a personal blast, then sit inside and wait for the group session.
Thing that shows up for me is the lack of professionalism of Norms, in fact it shows up more his naivety as a person and a player, also how he really is in many ways second rate by taking a back seat in the team and allowing his halves partner to shoulder the primary amount of responsibility in the play.
I like Norms but! He does not have a complete game in his play and I would rather see someone else in that spot, and that should be Gutho when he's ready for his return. Having Gutho and MM in the halves would be a much better selection as it gives the eels two quality non selfish players who will play the full 80 minutes in a non selfish way and consistently, which is the primary consideration.
Norman needs Gutho's commitment to application.
Take your job fucking seriously Corey, and put in consistent high effort.
..and the team deserved a spray too... Terrible effort.
If they want it be taken as a serious contender....
I will be excited if he lifts for the game against Manly, and he continues to play with consistency. As I said above, I like him as a player but for me he needs to show his worth in team effort and not drop off as much as he does.
Against Penrith when Moses was in the head bin, is when he should have lifted also when MM was binned, in those circumstances, he needed to lift as the senior player in the halves, likewise the whole team when the binning took place, although Norms also was down at the point of one of the Penrith tries. Thing is at that point, the ref should have stopped the play while he received attention.
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