But before we look at some of the more depressing facets of the year gone by, let’s start with the positives. I was pretty vocal in my support of the club bringing in Stephen Kearney. When I wrote ‘A Clash of Cultures’, I pleaded: “If we have a change of coach, then the club needs to be midful of the lessons of 2010 and it needs to make an appointment with the big picture in mind. It needs to define itself, understands its strengths and weaknesses and start to re-build a culture around the things it has the most control over.”
Furthermore, in this blog I wrote: “You won't win a premiership until you get all the components that goes towards Rugby League success right first... that includes re-moulding Parramatta's culture but in a way that leverages and plays to our natural strengths. I see Kearney as someone who can do that. Parramatta is a club that requires discipline, but not in a heavy handed manner.”
So far, everything I have seen or heard of Kearney has backed up my initial thoughts and feelings about the man. I feel very confident that we are moving in the right direction and we have the right men running the show. The club does, however, need to be mindful that to be truly effective the kind of culture change we hear being put in at the top, needs to flow down right throughout the club. That ethic of hard work and no excuses needs to flow right down through our junior grades, the administration and everyone who touches the club.
Unfortunately, we got anything but from the admin side of things in 2010. As I wrote in The Blame Game, there was a failure by anyone in the club to man up and accept responsibility for what was nothing more than a season of woe. Daniel Anderson has conveniently been made the fall guy, and clearly he has to share responsibility, but the club publicly stated that it signed off on their coaches recruitment strategy so it too MUST accept responsibility.
To describe our 2011 recruitment as anything but diabolical would be to view the situation through a very thick pair of Blue and Gold glasses. Class players were let go when there was were no clear replacement on the horizon. You can have arguments about the respective merits of Kris Keating, Feleti Mateo and Kris Inu, but to let Jono Wright go on a modest wage to the Bulldogs was an epic fail, considering our dire lack of centres. You just shouldn’t be going into a season with big question marks and holes in your roster, like we are around the centre and halves positions.
Indeed, it’s fair to say that our administation has reflected the old Eels playing style. Rather than working solidly towards a desired result, we went for the Hail Mary plays. Yes, our administation would have looked like geniuses had they recruited a Cronk, Cooper or Thurston - even a Barrett or Orford would have looked good. But the truth is that none of these players were ever officially on the market and if your not always dealing with cards you have control over, chances are when it comes down to it you’re going to get trumped. And so it proved.
Indeed, if the same criteria were applied to Paul Osborne and the board as was applied to Daniel Anderson’s 2010 performance they too would be looking for new jobs as well in 2011. Fortunately, invariably the further you go up the tree the more time you seem to get to get your act together. The pressure is on everybody in the administration to provide the kind of stable foundation that you need for on-field success.
However, as I started this piece by saying, I do believe things are on the improve and so I think we have to be prepared to just forget that 2010 ever happened and see what we can make out of 2011. The club has to keep moving forward according to the new course it has charted.
We appear to have some strong leaders in the coaching ranks, an experienced group of players and some great young talent coming through. We’ve moved out of the ninties and into this century with our marketing and membership efforts, and while there is still much room for improvement, it is one area we’re doing a better job than we have in the past. The club has shown a willigness to engage better with the fanbase, but like most of its other efforts that has been patchy. We have an inexperienced CEO and a young and eager team but after the clean-out in the office following the Fitzgerald overthrow, most people were new to their jobs in 2010. Next year, that excuse will no longer fly. The Parramatta fanbase has a right to expect much, much better in 2011 at all levels of the operation. Which for me at least, doesn't have to mean a Premiership - such expectations at this stage benefit nobody. But we do have the right to demand significant progress and the foundations for future success on and off the field.
P.S. Any ridiculous slander at the officials or anyone else at the club will be deleted and you risk suspension. Feel free to discuss and debate but if you're going to simply just hurl abuse then it's not wanted and won't be tolerated.
Replies
I particularly commend you for not having blinkers on. Our recruitment has been diabolical and we have a million dollars or so just sitting there. I cant even begin to say how bad this is. Our depth in the centres and halves is atrocious!
I believe SK is the right man and I beleive he is changing the attitude of players. I want a team that will put in every week, not when it feels like it. But I also want a Premiership. We have waited too long!!! Im concerned our playing roster next year is genuinely not a top 8 roster yet and this is unacceptable.
One eyed, do you see any hope for more purchases or should we just accept we have what we have??? You dont have to mention names but are we still actively pursuing players?
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs throughout the year, and this is no exception. You make the most sense on this site and I must admit, since I became a member I've not gone a day without logging on and having a read of everyones post's.
I feel privileged being a member of The Swarm, 1eyed, and most of all, the Parramatta Eels!!
PS- I have found Jackie and Kim in the office very pleasant to deal with.
After the turn over we have had i think we could struggle for depth next year but i think there is a few good juniors coming through who may get a chance and who knows how they will go when given a chance. but you know when you have hayne in your side your always a chance
I saw the heading of another blog about buying Mat King i think thats an awesome idea hope we get him, but with our recruitment strike rate i wont be holding my breath,
I am a new member but i often open the site and read blogs and comments and have only once replied to comment before, because some comments and rumours put forward by some members, make me want to poke my eye out with the sharpest thing i can find on my desk.
This club will and is improving everyday, but the pressure of the high expectation that we as fans place on all levels of the club is only detremental to its success. To expect SK and the team to deliver a long awaited premiership in the next couple of years is a little optomistic, rebuilding takes time and i believe we are starting with a good base as all good structures need.
It even took the calibre of Bennett 2 seasons and I believe nobody even comes close to Bennett.
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