https://www.zerotackle.com/brads-got-that-winning-eeling-47531/
This time every year the chatter begins, on TV and radio, in newspapers and online – who is the NRL’s coach of the year?
The general consensus: Dessie has it in the bag, a short half head ahead of Ricky and the consistently magnificent Bellyache. But wait a second, check that photo finish again, who’s that unfashionable nag in the blue and gold colours loping along down the outside?
I’m not here to poo poo the Sea Eagles, Raiders or Storm mentors’ claims to be the 2019 King of the Clipboard. All have done an incredible job and any one of them would be a worthy winner, but I do contend that Brad Arthur has earned a place in the debate.
In 2018, the Eels came last. Stone. Motherless. Trent Barrett was resting easy on his garden furniture, comforting himself in the knowledge that at least his side wasn’t as bad as Parra. I mean, seriously, even the Titans were looking down their noses.
Parramatta has won 12 games so far this year, compared to just six in 2018, and that’s with four rounds yet to play. The -176 points differential of last year has blossomed to +27 in 2019, an improvement by more than 200 points. In terms of sheer numerical improvement year on year, no other side can boast such figures.
I keep hearing people tripping over their platitudes in praise of Des lifting Manly from 15th in 2018 to fifth this year, yet little mention of Arthur lifting the Eels an equal number of rungs up the ladder from 16th to sixth. Why is this?
Look, I get it, Parra hasn’t looked like a top six side this year. They have had some good fortune – meeting a Panthers side reeling from a sex tape scandal in round one, an injury-ravaged Sharks in round four, the Origin-depleted Rabbitohs in round 12, a hopelessly out of form Broncos in round 14, a Warriors side that couldn’t buy a penalty in round 19.
Sure, their consistency has rightly been questioned – failing to score a point in Canberra, spanked by Melbourne during Magic Round, beaten by Penrith at Bankwest in what remains a contender for worst game of the year, carved up by Wade Graham on a cold Saturday night in Cronulla and being an unwilling participant in the Tommy Turbo Show at Brookie.
But strip away how it’s looked and let’s revisit the fact that matters most, Parramatta is sixth on the ladder, with a good gap back to seventh. There are 10 other sides right now who wouldn’t mind being as “inconsistent” as the Eels. So, how did they get there? Look no further than the coaches box.
Somewhere along the line this year, the Eels have learned something that’s very un-Eels-like, they’ve learned some resolve and how to grind out a win. In all of those games I mentioned where the opposition wasn’t at the peak of their powers, Parra won. They didn’t fluff around like the Parra of old, winning a few and letting a few they were expected to win slip through their fingers, they won them all.
More recently, games against a desperate Dragons and Knights; on both occasions, Parra hung tough, managed the closing stages, won the big moments and took home the two points. Who is this side and what have they done with the real Parramatta?
Remember the Eels versus Raiders in Darwin? The Raiders got out to a big lead and were run down. The narrative afterwards was that the Raiders got complacent and lost, right? In hindsight, maybe it was the Eels who got hungry and won? Just a thought.
Yes, Parra has a new rampaging Fijian winger on the left and that ex-Rooster with the wonky nose is more than earning his keep on the right, but between the wings, Brad Arthur’s squad is largely the same as the one that took home the spoon last year. The Eels don’t have any future immortals (Storm), no sets of home grown sibling superstars scheming with a State of Origin captain/halfback to terrorise their opposition (Manly) and no influx of highly talented bruisers from the north of England (Raiders), but they do have a bunch of blokes who have slowly learned to apply themselves, dig in and work as a team.
Quietly going about their work, no fanfare, no headlines, no frills – just like the Eels mentor himself, who is unassumingly compiling one of the coaching performances of the year without many people even noticing.
So come on Zero Tacklers, give it to me, comment away, tell me why I’m wrong and why the editors of this fine website erred in publishing this dross – as long as it gets Brad Arthur into the debate, my work here is done.
Replies
I think he enters the debate to say "Hi, thanks for acknowledging me" then leaves again. He has been great this year. However, the 'massive climb up the ladder' has to be discounted by the fact he oversaw the spoon last year. He contributed to the gap being so marked, both good and bad.
He may still lay claim to the award though. There are 4 regular games left and a final series to play.
It's for this year, not last season, johnny. If there was a wooden spoon equivalent for coaches he would have deserved it last year.Still he has lifted us from 16th to 6th and we are more likely to finish higher than 6th than we are to finish lower than that after round 25.
We've been in the top 8 at the end of each weekend since the opening round of the season and while he may not be solely responsible for recruitment he has those players who have joined Parra this year performing very well.The last couple of weeks we have ground out wins in a manner we haven't done very often for a long time.
If he can get us into the top 4 again he has to be one of the main contenders for coach of the year.
Love it!! A thoroughly enjoyable read.
No way will he get it, but I do think he deserves a bit of praise and credit for the turnaround.
If you look at the talent of our team and the talent in the teams above us, we’re looking pretty damn good.
BA deserves the award for re- signing / extending his coaching contact with the eels earlier this year after last years disastrous player performances. He has stuck by the players The players are not stupid . They think they owe BA big time for staying put . Hence the resurgence!!!!
Yer well just got told semi Radradra has just quit rugby in the last few hours and is seeking a release anyone know what the f&& is going on with this
Ask the bloke who told you.
What a good read.
Arthur has to take some credit here. Not so much the from spoon to equal fifth thing so much imo, but the recruitment.
I realise that he is not solely responsible for all recruitment and retention decisions, I get that, but he has a pretty strong say and the likes of Lane, Paulo and Ferguson and now Blake, are very good decisions. This is not to mention the juniors coming through. Ok, so the likes of Salmon etc. are not eels juniors, but the timing and mentor ship of bringing the likes of Brown, Mahony, Sivo and Niukore into the top team, has been very good. bA has done a lot behind the scenes with juniors. It takes some years to see the results and we are just beginning to see them now. We have some quality and big forwards to come in over the next twelve months too.
Exciting times.
But can he win finals football? Storm and Roosters are the benchmark. Parra's best game this season was a loss against the Roosters, because the intensity was top standard, but experience got the Roosters home. If BA can get the Eels back up to that standard, then it will be a contest in the finals.
Anyway you look at this BA has improved this side this season. Without looking into the rear vision mirror and dissecting last seasons failures all over again the side has gone from Wooden Spooners to the finals and sit on the same points as the team coached by the man supposedly one of the favorites for Coach of the year.
He has learnt a lot from the disaster that was 2018 and this team is fitter and led around by a halfback who believes that he is in charge. MM and BA sat down in the off season talked about 2018 and are now moving forward with a plan that is working,
They had limited cash to fill the holes in the roster and for the most part that has been achieved. Most people will argue that we are still a few forwards short but none the less the roster is better than 2018.
The season began well for the Eels until teams started working out that our middle was lacking resolve in defence. A few changes by the coach and some honesty sessions and the middle have rediscovered the resolve they had in 2017. They have begun to win the close games not just the ones where they go out to a big score early.
The coach learnt a lot from 2018. It is showing in the results and he has got the team to a position where they are on the same wins as the coach many believe should be favorite for Coach of the year. He has achieved this with a roster that only included one SOO player.
By the end of the year the Eels will be ahead of Manly and there maybe a new perspective on Coach of the year. Having said all that I belive that it is hard not to give the award to one of the coaches that makes the GF.
I think the turn around from the Melbourne game has been astonishing. The pickup of waqa Blake has been a master stroke as has his detaching himself from some players who thought they had a mortgage on their jerseys no matter how bad they played.
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