Eels Blogs

Assembling a premiership winning squad - that is the biggest challenge every NRL coach faces.

Bringing together a squad of 25+ players that you can afford, who will not only work and compete, but consistently fight for the two competition points every single round and work themselves into the position where they have the opportunity to play for the coveted Provan-Summons trophy on Grand Final day.

A simple enough equation right? Get the best 25+ rugby league players you can squeeze under your salary cap; prepare them for the rigours of 26 rounds of NRL and the ensuing final series by winning more than half your games by flogging them all off-season with skills, strength & conditioning; go undefeated in the finals series; take home the premiership; wash, rinse, repeat.

As the most basic formula in the most basic sense, this seems a little too easy. But why isn't it? Because there are so many contributory factors at play that can determine a coach's success (or lack thereof) and these are what must be considered by undertaking a coaching position and before throwing a contract to any player willy-nilly.

Firstly, an NRL Head Coaching position very seldom becomes available with a successful team - a coaches career doesn't usually end on his terms, so more likely than not, you're inheriting a team with a less than (or not your personal) desired playing roster and/or in less than ideal working environment.

Secondly,  forming a squad that you as a coach are satisfied with takes time. To build a squad and develop players to fit their most successful mould in a successful team structure is no easy feat, it's a timely process. Given that you're only likely to have a 2-3 year initial contract (which would have some pretty strong KPI's built into them) means you only have a short-shelf life to prove your value and worth for another contract. That means for the time being - you're going to have to make do with the players you've got.

Thirdly, you have contributory factors to contend with such as injuries; suspensions; player form; player development; player burnout; player attitudes and egos;  travel commitments; media commitments; your staff; the staff managing  you; club politics. Hell you're probably a family man too and that's just to name a few things!

I could honestly talk all day about the rigours of being an NRL coach and write many detailed articles on all the intricate facets one has to consider and manage upon undertaking such a demanding position, but at the end of the day what it really comes down to is squad management and creating balance with your squad in the present (and the future) and devising game plans that best fit this squad.

If you've been a Parramatta supporter for any considerable amount of time, you'd understand that this process hasn't been managed the best for a while and the NRL team currently sits in second last place with a 3-5 record.

"Here we go again..." you have probably found yourself saying at one point or another, in a less than enthusiastic tone of voice.But let us consider the current situation. Although a 3-5 record isn't the most ideal win-loss ratio a third of the way through the season, there is reason for optimism amongst the Blue and Gold Army.

Since halfway through our Round 2 match with Canterbury-Bankstown, the Eels team has been incredibly imbalanced. This means that the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen and available players in our top 17 haven't complimented each other to create a regularly winning team.And with many of the contributory factors that were alluded to earlier at play, how can it? There's just so many different elements contributing to our position.

Now this isn't to shift blame or make up excuses - as we know rugby league is as much a mental game as it is physically, and there have been times where Parramatta has been their own worst enemy and cost themselves with lapses in their own physical and mental concentration and application  - but what it does highlight is the importance of having balance across your top 17 (and subsequently your top 25+ players) so that you can mitigate the inevitable contributory factors and have players that compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses.

If you go back a few years to seasons 2011-2012, we had too many similarly styled backrowers in our top 25 that offered little to no variety in style of play. Fast forward a few years to the present and our backrow has a number of different options available with many differing styles of play that better complement each other and create better balance across the backrow. This weakness was recognised and managed, but it took time. What wasn't managed well however, was the attempts to create balance across the top 17 with the players that were available for selection at that time - but that is neither here nor there now.

Now as it stood going into the 2015 NRL season, Parramatta had imbalance in their NRL squad. We have a number of strong forwards in our roster (some of which have had to play Reserve Grade at different points throughout this season because of the depth and strength of the pack, whom would probably find themselves in the Top 17 at other NRL clubs)and we had a spine (Fullback-Five-Eighth-Halfback-Hooker) that most Coaches would be over the moon to work with, all of whom at times throughout their career have proven to be match winners and have the ability to win games through their own brilliance and determination. However, following the departure of Jarryd Hayne from the spine and having an already weakened backline without any regularly threatening ball carriers with speed, regularly threatening to break the line (outside of Semi Radradra) which when exposed to injury, was found out both attackingly and defensively at various points throughout the 6.5 games that followed the ensuring Round 2 loss to the Bulldogs - it created a further imbalance across the Parramatta squad. Whatever is a coach to do in this situation?

Simple - the same thing he was to do no matter which players are available - pick the best balanced side whose strengths and weaknesses complement each other for the creation of a winning team.

Now I will be the first to say this - I will never bag any of our players. To me everyone who represents the Blue and Gold has been bestowed a great honour. Wearing that Eels badge over your heart in First Grade rugby league does not come easy and every player that has worn our jersey this season (and in seasons past) has shown enough ability to get there in the first place and deserves our respect as supporters. However, what also must be recognised is that just because a player is good enough for First Grade, doesn't necessarily translate into them being the best player to be selected. They can create imbalance in the team. What should also be noted is that due to contributory factors, we haven't always had our most balanced squad available for selection either.

That is why I must applaud some of the decisions Brad Arthur has made for our upcoming Round 10 clash with the Melbourne Storm at Pirtek Stadium. Prior to this game we had some great players playing and representing our beloved Eels, however their position in the team created imbalance across the squad and as a result, we were just falling short of where we needed to be to secure winning results. Our backline had too many power runners of the ball who could make metres, but lacked that extra bit of pace and positioning play to finish off backline movements and to successfully diffuse dangerous defensive situations; our forwards and halves were playing too lateral rather than working it through the middle to create the necessary space on the edges for our backline; and as a team we've seemed to lack that aggression we had within our opening 4 rounds of the season.

With the return of Semi Radradra, we get that dynamic runner with pace who threatens to break the line; with the selection of Ryan Morgan on the wing, we acquire further pace out wide and someone more defensively capable of diffusing dangerous situations; with the selection of Reece Robinson at fullback we have pace from the back and someone capable of capitalising on forwards offloads and finishing off movements; with both Hopoate and Takairangi in the centres we have our most defensively sound centre pairing this year who are also capable of carrying the ball for metres and creating space for the fast men outside of them; with the potential selection of Tepai Moeroa we gain defensive aggression and another potential line runner in the backrow to compliment the devestating Manu Ma'u. These are all moves that will have us working towards being a more balanced and complete side and give us the greatest potential of winning games.

Every winning season (more wins than losses) we've had is because of the balance in our side. The last time we had the best balance across our squad was 2005 - we finished with the minor premiership. If you look at that squad it is full of players who compliment each other's abilities and were threatening across the park both attackingly and defensively, with strong depth across a multitude of positions - it's no surprise we were a top 4 team for the majority of that year, which brings me back to the present.

Although we may not have the balance across our 2015 squad that we did in 2005, we still have a squad that when at full strength (and pending injury *knocks on wood* will be back at full strength with all players available less Darcy Lussick, Ken Edwards and Beau Champion next week) we still have the ability to produce a winning season and press our claims come the business end of the competition by managing them with a more balanced approach.

As alluded to in other posts, our next third of the season will be the make or break. We have a number of home games; it's the origin period (so we may be playing some weakened less balanced sides); we have very little travelling to undertake; and we're playing against teams who we can beat. But! We can only do this by picking the most well balanced squad available to us during this time.

Now given this is an article about squad balance, it is only appropriate that I post a team list (and you may disagree with some of the suggestions I make) but it is what I believe to be our most well balanced team, given our squad is fully available come next round and what I would pick if I were Head Coach.

1) Reece Robinson

2) Semi Radradra

3) Will Hopoate

4) Brad Takairangi

5) Ryan Morgan

6) Corey Norman

7) Chris Sandow

8) Danny Wicks

9) Nathan Peats

10) Tim Mannah

11) Manu Ma'u

12) Tepai Moeroa

13) Anthony Watmough

14) Joseph Paulo

15) Pauli Pauli

16) David Gower

17) Junior Paulo

18) Peni Terepo

19) Richie Fa'aoso

20) Darcy Lussick (after suspension)

Why have an extended bench of forwards? Put simply (and as we're all aware) our forwards are our greatest strength and I wouldn't decide on a final 17 with our forwards right up until the half hour before kick-off factoring in our opponents and the game day conditions. If I want to play the complete power game with explosive runners, I'd have a prop rotation around Junior Paulo, Danny Wicks, Richie Fa'aoso and Peni Terepo. If I want players who are going to play longer minutes and keep us more defensively honest and disciplined through the middle then Tim Mannah and David Gower are going to feature in my forwards rotation. If I want to have a forward pack that's just going to be completely aggressive and relentless Danny Wicks, Darcy Lussick, Junior Paulo, Richie Fa'aoso, Manu Ma'u, Tepai Moeroa and Anthony Watmough will be playing. If I want players who are capable of offloading and creating more space for our outside runners Pauli Pauli, Joseph Paulo and David Gower are all going to have spots in my team. If I want dynamic runners who will run lines and hit hard defensively than Manu Ma'u and Tepai Moeroa are musts! Again it comes down to that balance and getting the best of all these worlds and picking the squad based on the conditions and our opponents.

I think the backline more or less picks itself from here on out and that's what we should settle on, pending contributory factors. It finally has pace where it needs it, at fullback and on the flanks; it's the most defensively sound backline we will field for the rest of the year; and it has centres who have the ability to create opportunities for their outside runners, as well as doing the hard work.

So how do we utilise our balanced squad into playing to its potential? - Again, by keeping it simple.

Our forwards have the ability to mix it with any pack in the NRL. I truly believe that on our day, we can out enthuse and run over the top of our opponents, as we did to Manly-Warringah in Round 1 and South Sydney in Round 4. That means direct football up the middle third with Nathan Peats ensuring we get over the advantage line consistently. It means the majority of our forwards tucking the ball under the wing and running as hard as they can, looking for hit and spin opportunities. It means Joseph Paulo straightening the attack to create space for our halves and fringe runners. It means Reece Robinson following our forwards everywhere for any potential offloads or passes.

In doing so we will create plenty of space for our outside runners and now faster backline. This will give Norman and Sandow space. This will give them time to choose between hitting angled runners in  Ma'u or Moeroa; or sending the ball wider to Takairangi or Hopoate with space to set up the fast men who are now outside them; or alternatively cutting the ball out to Radradra or Morgan straight away. This shouldn't be the job of Robinson, the sweeping play out the back to the Fullback is a set play that must be shelved for the time being. Robinson is not that type of Fulllback. His value will be shown in supporting the backline movements, looming up in support of our centres or backrowers or being hit as the runner into the gap. It's in following the middle third forwards around in the early parts of the set. He's not a Hayne we can hit out the back with the sweeping play who will either create or set himself up.  He's a runner with blinding speed and acceleration, give him the best opportunity to produce that without the added pressure of having to decide if or when to distribute the ball. We have two halves who are perfectly capable with their pass selection, we've seen both Norman and Sandow do that already this year. Allow them to assume this responsibility and allow Reece to roam and follow the forwards around, just like Wade McKinnon did in 2005. That is how we will get the best value out of our backline, our halves and that's how we will become a winning team again - but it all starts with the forwards and controlling that middle third - this is where we will shift the balance in our favour.

Now I've only just begun to scratch the surface with the importance of creating balance in an NRL squad and an NRL team, but I look forward to this Sunday's game with great anticipation, as I do every Eels game. It will be the first time since the early rounds we have balance across our backline. With a few tweaks and given the conditions and opponents on Sunday, I believe we have the opportunity to have it in our forward pack as well. It's a very interesting part of the year we enter as supporters of the mighty Parramatta Eels and even with a 3-5 record, I think there is great reason for optimism - we just need to stay balanced.