For a long time, I’ve lamented the lack of leadership at our club. I’m a big believer that leadership is an essential ingredient in the success of any team in any endeavour.
We’ve missed pretty much any type of leadership for the good part of a decade, whether it be on the field or off it.
However, let’s focus on the field. Since the Gibson, Monie days of the eighties, a succession of Parramatta coaches have grappled with leading this club.
Mick Cronin and Ron Hilditch were arguably too “good a blokes” to make great coaches and struggled with a sub-standard playing roster. And then we got Brian Smith.
Smith is a leader. But also a particular type of leader. A strict disciplinarian, he tended to experience success in waves. His demanding approach to coaching, tended to bring initial success with a playing group, but eventually his teacher-like approach would wear thin and results would suffer. A clean-out of players, tended to reset the clock before the same old issues raised their heads.
In Jason Taylor, we got a coach who was too close to his players (albeit a well-timed tonic to Smith) and Michael Hagan seems like too much of a soft touch. Daniel Anderson’s approach was more akin to that of Brian Smith and there were grumbles that Parramatta’s poor second season under him, came with him losing a section of the dressing room. Steven Kearney struggled with the chasm between being a hard-arsed disciplinarian and one of the boys, while Ricky Stuart simply failed to motivate amidst a weekly trotting out of excuses and arse-covering.
With Brad Arthur, I’m confident the club has a true leader at the helm. Arthur isn’t a Winston Churchill-style orator, nor does he ooze charm. However, what he does seem able to generate - and it’s the most important quality of all, in any leader - is respect. Clearly, the players respect him to the point, where they’re willing to go to war for him. He is a disciplinarian, but you get the sense when he does go off, the player’s understand it is, with good reason. And outside of that, he seems to have a bond with players, without losing his position as an authority figure.
Now, just as any coach has struggled to put their stamp on the Blue and Gold, I would say the same of our captains.
Nathan Cayless has a proud, successful record as a captain. However, one got the sense it was very much a lead-by-example style of leadership. He’d shoot you a cranky look, and then go out and show you what was expected of you. I’m not going to knock that style of leadership because Cayless was an inspirational leader, but I think it’s an approach that works better for some than others.
Nathan Hindmarsh was also inspirational, but he wore his heart on his sleeve. The same qualities that make him some a likable bloke, let down his captaincy, because after the Eels conceded a try, you could literally see Hindmarsh hurting so much. Tim Mannah is intelligent, and well-spoken but, again, you just get the feel that he’s too nice and diplomatic to rip in when it’s needed. Jarryd Hayne’s combination of an air of arrogrance, couple with his laid-back nature meant that leadership was never something that was going to come naturally to him.
And so we come to Kieran Foran. If ever a player has screamed leadership material it’s been Foran, almost to the day he entered the NRL. Like Arthur, Foran demands respect with his effort and intensity. He has the talent to have earned any leadership role. He’s intelligent and well-spoken. And he doesn’t seem averse to letting rip a few home-truths, either.
Importantly, and this has been a key issue for the Eels, is that he will also be the club’s on-field leader as half-back. A succession of captains who have played in the forwards has always left the Eels leaderless for long-periods of the game. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that we have a reputation as a team that struggles to put together an eighty minute performance.
In Foran and Arthur, the Eels appear to have finally have gotten their on-field leadership model right. And that already appears to be showing through in the tenacity and effort that the club displayed in winning the Nines.
Even more promising is that the club is now littered with strong, experienced men who can contribute to ensuring we’re heading in the right direction. As club captain, Tim Mannah retains a deserved-leadership role. Beau Scott could easily captain any NRL club. David Gower, Michael Gordon, Danny Wicks, Isaac De Gois and Anthony Watmough are blokes who have been around the block more than a few times and have good heads on their shoulders as well. And Corey Norman showed in the nines that while he’s still a team joker, when he steps onto the field, he jumps straight into a no-bullshit leader-style role that you need of any half.
And I’d even throw in players like Junior Paulo - who captained all his Junior rep teams, Nathan Peats, who appeals as a fierce competitor and Manu Ma’u who is very much a lead from the front style of player.
Especially, when compared to our last decade, it really is an embarrassment of riches, and it’s a bunch of blokes who would all appear to complement each other as well. There’s a range of personalities within the team, but underlying it all, appears to be a fierce competitive streak and a commitment to each other and the cause.
There may be teams that have better squads on paper, with more current rep-players and marquee superstars, but one gets the feel that this is a team which will, to use Brad Arthur’s lexicon, keep turning up for each other. I think this is a team that will continue to motivate each other and which will compete for every minute it’s out on the field. Which, even before a ball has been kicked, augurs well for an enjoyable year ahead.
Replies
You heard it hear first. Foran will be the worst club captain we have ever had. Thanks for putting the mocha on him Phil.
Aside from the shaky salary cap sagas (which look potentially back on the rails) this is the most positive I've felt in many years about our capabilities.
Its also great Mannah is still acknowledged 'publicly' as a leader in his club captain role, so he's not completely cast aside in favour of the new guy on the block.
Foran, you get the feeling, is also good guy no less impeccable but present a harder edge as a leader. Coming from winning cultures, won't can't see him accepting mediocrity, especially attitude wise or let things slide as easily. A perfect fit with Arthur.
He's also articulate & comfortable in the media but in a relatable down to earth way ( non-academic ).
I get the feeling this is a far tougher Eels era we're onto & preseason defence augers positive signs.
To be honest, and at the risk of engaging in unintended stereotyping, I think we've got the mix right this year.
We've always been blessed to have a nursery that produces such a wealth of exciting Polynesian footy talent, but sometimes, some of those younger Polynesian blokes lack the hard edge to not only compete for 80 minutes, but for 26 odd rounds of footy.
I think Beau Scott is going to be a great addition to the squad. He's not a fancy player, but gives us what we've been missing since Hindy retired. A fit Watmough and Edwards scouting on the fringes will be a welcome addition too.
I think Foran is an exceptional footballer but I'm concerned that it might take him a bit of time to adapt to the Eels brand of footy. Manly play a structured game whereas our recent success has been off the back of more organic footy and I can't see that model changing too much.
To that end, this is a very big season for Corey Norman. There were times last year that he clearly was the only player on the team that asked any questions of the opposition and, in my view, his role initially will be to lead the team around whilst Foran acclimatises.
The starting front rowers in Mannah and Paulo will be tremendous, and we have the experience of Gower and Wicks off the bench so that augers well. Throw in a dynamic backrow and one of the best rakes in Nathan Peats and I think the engine room is well served.
And, now we have some genuine speed in the backs with Gordon and Jennings to complement Semi!
All in all, there's a very good reason why many pundits think we're a good thing in 2016!
Bring it on!
I don't think Gower will get a bench spot if everyone is fully fit
To be honest, I think we're a lot more structured than many observers give us credit for. There was a time there last year, when the commentators were saying we were a dangerous team to play because not even we knew what we were going to do. But if you look at most of our backline movements, they're pretty generic with players sweeping behind a short ball. That's really not too dissimilar to how Manly played and I think both clubs aim to eventually get the opposition to run out of numbers and set up the winger. WIngers at both clubs are similarly prolific try scorers.
So I realluy don't think it's going to be too much of an adjustment for Foran at all. The biggest adjustment is probably going to be our fringe forwards who might have to get used to actually being put into holes.
I think Arthur encourages the players to play what's in front of them and "to play footy" but there's definitely a structure that underpins that willingness to use the ball.
Re Structure v Organic play
Not sure if its just me imagining things but in the Nines, where our defence was outstanding, I thought our structure was far more impressive than it's been ( since I can remember ) & far less reliant on 'organic' play than the past (e.g. 2001,05,09) & teams such as , say the Panthers & Warriors.
Both factors, I think were instrumental in our win. We looked calm , quietly confident & composed & didn't crack under pressure. All things we haven't been known for.
If this is a sign of the improvements I'd say there more chance we'll handle pressure much better - even than the successful 'Organic' years (e.g. of 2001,05,09) where we cracked when it counted.
Personally, I think we're heading towards the right balance between Structure & Organic play.
Perhaps. I think there were times last year that, when structure failed us, we went back to a bit of ad-lib and it tended to work.
Getting the balance right will be key. Daniel Anderson encouraged us to play Harlem Globetrotters footy - and when it worked - it was spectacular (e.g. the 2009 Prelim final against the Dogs) - but it didn't always work.
SK encouraged us to play like the Storm - and it failed abysmally considering the players he had in the stable.
One thing I have noticed over the course of last season and particularly during the Nines was how much Corey Norman has matured. It seems like he finally knows where he's at as a footy player.
Let's not forget that when he came into grade at the Broncos, Darren Lockyer no less declared him to be his rightful successor and a future star of the game. Whilst such edicts from past greats are made with the best intentions, some players feel the weight of expectation too greatly and it stifles their development.
When we signed Norman, folks on the Broncos forum where laughing at our misfortune. But he looks like he's about to blossom into the footy player that Locky saw at the junior level.
During the Nines tournament, Norman wasn't just running the team, he owned the team! His confidence appears to be high and I expect big things from him this year. I think it would be in everyone's interests if he is able to take pressure off Foran because if we have a poor start to the year and Foran isn't firing, you know he's going to come under scrutiny.
I do!
I think Brad Arthur has a lot of confidence in Gower's maturity, leadership and solid defence. I'd be surprised to see him miss out on a spot in the 17 if fully fit.
My only criticism of him is that he sometimes pushes a pass that isn't on.
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