Brad Arthur vs Anthony Seibold

Brad Arthur has had a bit on his plate as Eels coach during his tenure. The debacle created by the former CEO with Kieren Foran's contract, the subsequent salary cap dillema and the inheritance of a fractured roster when he first took on the role as head coach.

In 2017, we made an amazing rush towards the finals, led by the likes of Semi, Mitch Moses and Corey Norman! We fell short, but, if we're all being honest, we probably went as far as we were going to that year.

In 2018 there was much expectation. Jarryd was back at the club. We finished 4th the year prior and things looked like they were heading north. We played one trial and belted the Knights. We turned up at Penrith Park in Round 1 and looked like world beaters until 10 minutes before half time when Waqa Blake scored his try. The second half, they steamrolled us. Round 2, it was 50 degrees and BA decided, for reasons best known to himself, to run the players on Brookvale for some 20 minutes, in the heat, before kick off. We got beaten by 50 points.

Those two results caused our confidence to be shot and we came last in 2018, yet the whole time, after every painful loss, BA fronted up at the press conference - always referred to the team as 'us' and 'we', not 'the players', and admitted that, despite effort at training, the team was down in confidence and that both he, and the players, would keep fronting up because things would 'eventually turn around'. 

I certainly didn't see any players laughing one week or crying the next! They seemed generally peeved after every loss - as they should!

The club, rightfully, undertook a review and gave BA an ultimatum in 2019 - start winning or piss off! We had an up and down start to the season, but, there were positive things happening and the club - to its credit - took a conservative approach. One of the reasons they did so is because the players seemingly all loved their coach. The players wanted to be at the club and they wanted to enjoy the success, as a group, when it inevitably came.

The club noted that and didn't fall for the cynical tactics of player managers. They stood firm on their stance with Gutho, Moses, Lane, Jennings, Dylan Brown and even the coach himself. They re-signed all of them - and at an appropriate value. Nobody is getting 'underpaid' and nobody is on 'silly money' and underperforming. The result? Team harmony! A sense of togetherness.

Before the start of this crazy season, BA admitted he made 'some errors' in 2018 and had sought to remedy them during the 2019 and 2020 pre-season. It's refreshing to hear a coach admit to his mistakes.

Now, I found it extraordinarily telling on the weekend that BA, in his presser, spoke about how the team wanted to "show the captain what they think of him" in his 100th match by putting a cricket score on the Cows. A complete 'team first' platitude in response to a well-rounded and quality performance to reward an entirely 'team first' oriented player and captain. That's the sort of public comment that 'buys you tickets' with the playing group!

Compare that with Seibold who, despite his throng of underperforming big money players in Croft, Milford and Boyd, decided to drop the winger, Corey Oates! The root of the problem! Now, Corey didn't come out and say, "well, my performance has been down and Seibs had every right to drop me". No! He said, "I was really disappointed to be dropped and I was dirty on the coach". Didn't even mention Seibold by name!

This idiot has some 7 SOO players running around each week, and with one of the most dynamic and explosive forward packs I've ever seen! How many do we have! Yet he places himself at arms length from the performances of his team, insisting that 'he's a good coach', 'his messaging is sound' and 'he's taken his teams to the semis in both his years as a first grade coach'! An examination of his record as head coach at lower levels shows that his record is anything but good!

Seibold has clearly lost the dressing room! Something that BA never did during our darkest hours!

Now, Seibold was supposed to be the new breed of 'technical coach' fit for the new age of rugby league! Gone are the days of the Wayne Bennett's of the world - the man managers! Gone are the days of the Brad Arthur's! The "bush coaches" of the game!

We've won nothing yet so please don't see this as any form of gloat - but, there's a few blokes on this forum - who, despite never lacing up a boot, or making a tackle in anger, generally think know more than everyone else when it comes to the inner workings of a rugby league football team - that death rode our coach.

At the end of this season, we may well be disapointed yet again. But, in the current climate - riding the 2020 version of the coaching merry-go-round, I for one, am happy we have the "bush coach" at the helm of our great club! 

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  • I wonder if (we keep winning )whether he will be rewarded at the Dally Ms? One would think so.Bellamy as coach can't be knocked given his ongoing success, give him the Brisbane roster and they are world beaters.Robinson has his side well drilled but realistically Siebold could win the comp with that roster.BA as divided as the opinions on here are has built a fine 'moneyball' team and has them consistently performing as a team.The players love him and we are beating "top" teams.We couldn't want for more than that(except Bellamy, I would have Bellamy ).

    • You have to wonder about Bellamy and how much of his success is built around Cameron Smith. There was a story a couple of years ago that showed Melbourne only win roughly 33% of their games when Smith is not playing. The fact that Smith rarely gets injured and was only ever really out of the team when Origin was on means that he played a lot of football. Maybe Bellamy sees the writing on the wall and that's why he's exiting at the end of next season.

      • A sound theory MeelK! Despite the fact that he was up against an exceptional Qld SOO team, is tenure as coach of NSW was anything but impressive!

      • The great coaches always acknowledge the greatness of the players they get to coach, Bellamy was on 100% Footy the other night and he was asked about his success and he said the first thing is having great players. The difference is what he is able to do with the various journeymen he has had over the years. Think about it, Ryan Morgan, Cheyse Blair, Sandor Earl, Bryan Norrie etc, these guys were nuffies elsewhere, but he plugged them into his system, gave them a simple job to do and the talent of Smith, Slater & Cronk made up the difference. 

        That’s what makes him a great coach. 

  • This may sound superficial but I think I know a big reason why he lost the room and its his Kermit the frog Fozzy the bear voice. It’s like if he was giving me a dressing down I may be quiet and be looking at my feet but I’d be thinking “clear you’re throat c#%^. He makes me feel very uneasy. And I just want him to Have a big cough or a fishermans friend and let someone else talk for a while. Imagine him trying not to yell at ya. He has zero vocal range. No 3rd gear. 

    BA sounds like a fully function Australian adult male human being and players respond to that.  

    • YES - my thoughts exactly everytime I hear him speak. Clear your thoat because I can't listen to this anymore! 

  • Well said Bourbs. 

    Its absolutely disgraceful that some members on here posted what they thought about BA when he was going crap, and now that he's going well they are behind him.
    That's just not how a supporter should carry on, especially after having just won 3 spoons in 5 years.

    • No dark sarcasm in the classroom Frank. Things were going bad for Parra no matter who was coaching. The sort of criticism of BA was way out of line and extremely personal. There is no excuse for that!

    • Frank, some criticism of BA was warranted - and he himself has owned up to that. My issue was the perception that 'BA can't coach'. I had an argument with Crow about it because, to me, it was an opinion not based on an actual observation! 

      None of us are down there at training. We don't hear what the coach tells the players. All we can judge him on is how the team plays on the weekend.

      When we were playing bad, apparenty, according to some BA 'couldn't coach'. Now that we're doing better, is it a case of 'BA can coach'? Or could he coach all along but the pieces of the puzzle have now all come together?

      When you blithely mouth off you can paint yourself into a corner - and I suspect that some of the 'BA can't coach' crowd are currently in that corner, waiting for the paint to dry!

  • Great statement, agree whole heartedly.

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