Clint Gutherson kicked and screamed when Parramatta coach Brad Arthur forced him to sit out a training session this week.
Arthur had to listen to the same complaints from his skipper when he dragged him from the field with just two minutes remaining against the Broncos late last season.
But there was good reason for giving the No.1 a spell this time.
Gutherson joked that he needed to “red line” every week to “earn the beers I have after the game”, but Arthur is no longer taking no for an answer with Gutherson when it comes to protecting him from himself.
“His numbers were through the roof on the weekend; there was a lot of high-speed running,” Arthur told The Sun-Herald.
“If you were to break it down, he was basically running five-minute kilometres for 10 kilometres, [when he was involved in the play], which is even harder when you consider he is also getting up from being tackled and making tackles.
“He’s been hard to deal with this week. I didn’t let him train with the group on Thursday and I made him have a light session on Tuesday.
https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.333%2C$multiply_0.7082%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_45/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Cf_auto/7d29590e616304073acd28fd4438e7fb8cf1eee6 2x" alt="Eels star Clint Gutherson covered more than 10 kilometres against the Sharks last weekeend." />Eels star Clint Gutherson covered more than 10 kilometres against the Sharks last weekeend.CREDIT:GETTY
“I tried to do that at times last year, but I’m refusing to budge on it this year.
“He sat there on Thursday and walked around and did some coaching with our young blokes.
“The chances of me pulling him out of games won’t happen, but when I can I’ll give him a rest and give him the chance to watch the team and let him see what we see as coaches. It will not only help him physically, but also help with his leadership role.”
Gutherson, 26, may have reluctantly agreed to sitting out a training session, but was certain the new rules had not made the game any faster. He is better equipped than most to know if it is.
He said the first six weeks of a season were always the toughest for players and the spate of injuries last weekend could not be pinned on the much-debated speed of the game.
“People will look at reasons injuries happen and have an opinion, but you can’t blame it on the new rules,” Gutherson said. “There might be years there are not many injuries; other years there are heaps.
“I know I feel the same after each game – always stuffed. But I don’t want to rest. It’s who I am. I have to earn the beers I get after the game and if that means red lining it for 80 minutes, that’s what I’ll do.
“I love playing footy. It’s not like I’m out there hating it. I enjoy it.”
Eels teammates remain in awe of Gutherson and his impressive aerobic capacity.
Prop Junior Paulo, who showed tremendous endurance himself during the off-season courtesy of a boxing regime, rated Gutherson “the fittest bloke I’ve come across in rugby league”.
The Eels will be chasing four straight wins to start the season when they take on Wests Tigers on Monday, with the Tigers pinning their hopes on their own livewire No.1, Daine Laurie.
Gutherson says he’s enjoyed watching the Penrith recruit, who is smaller and sharper but with an equally giant appetite for work.
Replies
Good to hear Brad is managing everyone's workload, it is necessary for later in the season. I note Josh Papalli was given a break from starting last night, apparently it was due to his output from the previous week.
Rest Gutho against the bottom teams Dogs, Broncos, Manly not the team that gives everything to beat us, suppose he is only getting $15,000 week sure give him a rest, i love Gutho and know he needs a rest just not against the Tigers rather see him rested against storm raiders etc
Mate, they aren't resting him for the game. They rested him for training
Don't think he read the article
I actually wonder if he read the article, and understood it