ARTHUR FUMES OVER LATEST EELS RECRUITMENT BUNGLE
IT’S Groundhog Day at the Parramatta Eels and we can completely understand why blue and gold coach Brad Arthur would be blowing up.
With a shortage of outside backs as they fight to try and make the top eight the Eels were in the box seat to sign Canberra Raiders outside back Harley Smith-Shields for the remaining four games of Parramatta’s regular season.
The move had progressed as far as Eels coach Brad Arthur talking to Canberra coach Ricky Stuart with the Raiders only request being Parramatta release young gun half Ethan Sanders to move to the national capital in November.
Everything looked on target to the point where the Parramatta coach Arthur told Smith-Shields he was going to be selected on the wing for the Eels NRL side against St George Illawarra on Sunday.
Smith-Shields had even packed his car for the drive from Canberra to Parramatta on Monday in order to make it to the Eels inside the August 3 top 30 cut-off date for signing players.
Everyone was on the same page about the move until it hit a last-minute snag in the form of the Eels recruitment and retention committee.
Yep, at the 11th hour the move was blocked by Parramatta management.
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The trouble with these types of last-minute, pen pushing decisions is they’ve become a regular occurrence at the Eels over the past few seasons.
Surely if Brad Arthur wanted Smith-Shields at this stage of the season with Parramatta fighting to make the finals the coach should have the loudest voice.
This clearly isn’t the case at Parramatta with CEO Jim Sarantinos and general manager of football Mark O’Neill intervening.
The Raiders are in the box seat to sign Eels rookie half Sanders for 2025 and simply wanted Parramatta to give him permission to negotiate with them now.
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The Raiders could then have pushed for Sanders to join the Green Machine’s top 30 in November this year.
It’s examples like this when it comes to recruitment and retention that illustrates how the Eels continually fall over in this space.
It’s also an insight into why Parramatta has gone from playing in a grand final to fighting tooth and nail to make the top eight.
The Eels need to stop making the same mistakes. Arthur is short on outside backs with Maika Sivo suspended.
Replies
Cmon Brad, Smith Sheilds is nothing special and would be another one of Brad's face saving short term gain for long term pain signings as we've already seen with Davey signing. for 2 season
Smith Sheilds is coming off a 2022 season ending acl injury also which just shows Arthur's desperation.
Good on the retention committee for blocking another dumb arthur move..
Have to agree Chief.
He doesn't add anything to our outside backs other than another body.
It's not like they were blocking the signing of a quality outside back Like Dom Young.
Why would we give up a quality halfback for a nobody winger.
We didn't give up a quality halfback - Sanders chose to leave to get a pathway to first grade at Canberra. That was happening regardles of this move.
This was us seeing if we could get something mutually beneficial out of the situation, and given our very clear under-recruitment in outside backs blocking this seems odd unless the club has effectively written off the season already.
I know Sanders chose to leave already.
I was referring to us giving him up a year early.
We would be strengthening the Raiders squad and getting nothing in return other than an average winger to just fill a spot.
It takes a year to regain form after an ACL so will be getting back to potentisl he showed when he was breaking into first grade before injuries struck. HSS may not be world beater but is better then what we have and definitely needed leading into the finals.
Agreed FM, he was a rookie of the year at Raiders and if we are so good to be critical of ACL recoveries how come we have Gutho in the side and of course our English hooker who for all intents and purposes didn't fail because of his ACL recovery.
I would love to know what Saratinos and O'Neill were thinking? I am not sure if the implication was we only get this kid for the rest of the season and he goes back to Canberra...... after all Raiders are in the race for the 8 as well, why this sweetness......maybe there is something we dont understand? again?
Looked at another way from a Canberra perspective, why are they giving up a depth player to have a talk to Sanders, who for all intents will be going there anyway. Hmmm something not quiet right?
Pops, do you really see HSS as being a top line first grade centre ? Cmon mate. Look at Cini, look at Leumilumi both stop gaps and languishing in reserve grade. Cmon plopps,
Its bizzare. Clearly we're in need for young outside backs , Sanders leaving in 25 is of no use to us next year wasting our resources in his development.
The only reason I can see that it's knocked back is the recruitment teams eyeing a bigger fish.Its the only way it makes sense.
I've always thought Cobbo would be the target.
Hes got no opportunity at fullback at the Broncs now.Gutho has mentioned he'd move for the right guy I wonder if a guy like Cobbo would move for the right opportunity.
It's hard to get the indigenous boys to move away from their mob, if you want them your best bet is to organise opportunities and bring their mob with them,
If you don't and they come , a lot get homesick fast and give you no value for money and likely leave early.
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