A PASSIONATE Brad Arthur spoke from the heart about his immense pride in his Parramatta players, admitting: “They have held me together”.
With the NRL expected to finally drop the salary cap bombshell on his strife torn club on Tuesday, Arthur revealed that he would still turn up for work at 6am — and his players would be joining him on the training field soon after.
And while the punishment is expected to almost certainly destroy Parramatta’s hope of playing any part of finals football this year, Arthur vowed that he and the players would not give up on their fans.
Asked if he felt a sense of pride in how his playing group had responded to the enormous pressure they have been under all season, Arthur said: “I couldn’t be any more proud of them.
“Everyone says I have held them together. “I am telling you, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. They have held me together.
“The last seven weeks there has been uncertainty around us. But you know what, they haven’t showed it. “You can have a plan and you can want to do this and do that. But if they don’t buy into it and they don’t trust you, it doesn’t matter what you do. “They have held us together because they have allowed us to keep it as normal as can be and be professional.”
Asked if he was concerned that the punishment would cost his team hope of playing in this year’s finals series, Arthur added: “We will worry about what happens later on. “I have tried not to think about it.
“Because of their commitment and I suppose the professionalism that they have showed, we have just kept it business as normal.
“And they have allowed me to keep it that way.
“If I didn’t have the buy in from them and the trust it would have been impossible.
“But they have been rock solid. Arthur has remained stoic throughout the drama.
“Like I said, I can’t ask them to be anything at the moment until I know what I am dealing with.
“And then we will sit down.
“But one thing I am sure of is whatever plan I come up with I know they are going to back it. “But I have got no idea unfortunately what the plan is because I don’t know (what the penalty will be). “We just have a normal day planned.
“We will train and we will go through our review and if I get any information we will deal with it and if we don’t I won’t.”
Replies
This highlights the character of the man, as there is little doubt he has suffered & so have the players. We have a team that includes every single person that goes out on the field to play, along with those who stand behind each one of their team which includes BA & the whole area of staff that works with him.
We can be proud of this man, as much as of the playing group, & why no matter what the decision is tomorrow then we as supporters have to also stand as one & also be part of the team. A team needs its supporters just as much if not more than the supporters need the team.
Shows me how wise Sharp was in standing up to get BA as our coach or team leader, & we need to also be thankful for that, which is also why the club has to move to appoint & extend his contract ASAP especially with the decision pending & hanging over everything.
This is disappointing in the sense you feel sorry for the guy. He bleeds blue and gold, he has changed the team so much to the point where we are actual contenders and yet he might have it all washed way by the NRL and the dodgy dealing of our board. Such a shame.
Fitzy makes himself look like a complete fool choc, he is a disgrace to the club in every way and has damaged the club more than Steve or Spags ever will with his never ending war against those running the club, Dennis should be banned from the club for life imo and he should be ashamed of himself for his role in all this.
What a sad f*%k of a life he has Snake.
He is worth a squillion, gets flown all over the world on gaming junkets, but gets his joy out of being a cancer to the club because he was knocked off the high horse he rode for 30 years.
Credit where it is due- he did some great things for the club while under his reign, but like Ray Price will only be remembered by the fans as bitter, narcissistic prick.
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