The overiding sentiment on this site, and in the media noise, is: we need a "new voice" and "new ideas".
Now, let's assume we can somehow nab seven-premiership winning Bennett who poured icy cold water on the Eels' idea a few weeks back.
It's unlikely we could get a better credentialed coach.
Let's put the obvious reality aside, which is, without certainty of knowing what the Eels' footy board, a seemingly optimistic, stoic "turtle wins the race" duck sailing smoothly on the surface is really doing underwater. Perhaps, paddling like mad. In all likelihood, it's unlikely that the footy board - who apparently have a very transparent and honest relationship with Brad Arthur and would go through the "front door" if there was a new coach on the horizon - have made any serious moves on the coaching front.
In all likelihood, Arthur will see our the rest of the year, at least. And when Moses returns if there is a renaissancenof sorts the landscape could change temporarily. A few wins could change the temperature quickly, quieting the rising drum noises and some of the natives.
The thing is, even if we nab Bennett somehow, which is far from a certainly, how long would he with us how long? Three years?
How much can he change in that time?
The tale of the tables tells we're in decline, overall as a footy club.
Our NRL squad currently sits 13th (gone up from 14th because the Tigers had a bigger loss than us this week), bottom five, with the 13th worst defence and since mid last year concede over 35 points a game away on average. Our Cup side is also 13th, in last place, with the third worst defence in the competition. Our Jersey Flegg side is also 13th, in last place, also with the third worst defence in the competition. Our woman's team is 10th, in last place, with the worst defence in the competition. Anyone seeing a trend?
Sure, it's only round and "not the end of the world" to quote Clint Gutherson from earlier mid-week. Just before the Manly loss.
From a distant galaxy, the good news is we're doing well in our juniors. Something not new. Our SG Ball Cup U-19s are 5th (from 16). Our Harold Mathew's Cup U-16 squad is 3rd (from 17). The polar opposite of what is going on higher up.
It seems the younger we go, with our enviable nursery, the better the results, at the moment.
It echoes the sentiments of 100% Footy by Gus Gould who pointed to our "cultural" woes running deeper than a head coach.
"Brad Arthur is not the trouble with why Parramatta are where they are now," Gus pointed out.
"In all the time that I have followed Parramatta, and I was a Parramatta junior, they have never really set up their pathways properly."
"They've never produced a culture, a character of their own, that's brought through the grades with young fellas wanting to be there and a part of the club. And that in the end becomes the problem of the head coach."
"In the end, that becomes the problem for the head coach, who is trying to win games today when no one has really planned adequately for the future."
"Someone has got to take that responsibility - that's not Brad Arthur's responsibility."
"They have great sides in the junior representative fields but it doesn't transition through to a culture or stream of players coming through in the club."
"It's become exhausting for him now."
Back to the we-nab-Bennett Hypothetical.
One of the other benefits that comes with Bennett is his trusty leitenant Dr Jauncey (see above). Bennett's Dr Massey of sorts. They go back decades from Bennett's Broncos premiership winning days. Jauncey is a highly successful sports psychologist, probably one of our best. It's also intriguing, why hasn't our footy board approached him? Results since 2022 suggest we may need a damn good shrink.
So, what's the best case scenario?
Bennett does what he has done before. And we do a St George 2010 to win a title. See above. The longest title drought in the NRL would be broken.
We celebrate. Drink. Dance. Be merry.
But, then what?
Think about what happened after Bennett left St George. The Broncos. Newcastle. Souths. The Broncos have finally started to regroup after their first wooden spoon in 2020 and make good on their God given talents and advantages. But how are Souths going right now?
There are two sliding door moments, here, depending on your perspective.
If you're an out and out optimist and believe we don't have deep rooted cultural issues or more fundamental issues - just need a new coaching voice - it's simple. We just keep throwing everything at the best coach we can find. Problem solved.
However, another door leads to what Jack Gibson said: winning starts at the front office. Perhaps, culture is a complex interdependent web, top to toe?
And in that case, we're going to get back where we started. After all the red wine has finished and the music dies down.
Replies
I think Kellyville is a big step to building that internal culture from the ground up. For the first time we will have our juniors playing and training where first grade is based.
In terms of if we got Bennett and he won us a comp, then what comes after? Well, I honestly couldn't care at this point. I've never seen us win a comp, so I'd like to see it at least once in my lifetime.
We do need to plan for the future though regardless who is head coach.
I'd say you almost separate it. You drill down into the junior pathways and build that culture, whilst reviewing your elite football operations and determining what the appropriate path forward is.
I'd say Gus is half right. Our junior program was elite in the 70s and 80s, and was reinvigorated in the late 90s and early 00s. Players would join Parra as teenagers from all over the state because of their pathways. But we sat on our laurels during that last really good batch from 2005-2007, lost some talented guys and then didn't put the work in when other clubs caught up.
Great point about the COE, Super. Is it still due for a March 2025 opening?
So, I just had a closer look at it.
Its central idea is inspirational: a "Community Hub" with "world class" facilities.
It's theme centres around a place of "togetherness": a "meeting point" where the entire community of regular folk from all walks of life come together with the enitre Eels' footy community, its pathways from grassroots juniors to elite grades and the NRL squad. All together as "One" larger community in high-performance landscape.
Just having a peek on who's on the project. Interesting.
Kane Constructions are decent enough and fairly big these days. Pretty tough arsed. They don't muck around. I did a largish residential job with them in Melbourne back in the day, a long time ago. We had issues with some of their players then. But they have come along in leaps and bounds, nowadays.
But the architects on the projects, HB Architects, are a very smallish operation, HB Architects (out in Blackburn, Melbourne). There are so many big names they could have chosen that would have given the some real pedigree with an international footprint to complement the idea of "world-class". Bates Smart, Cox Architecture, Woods Bagot, Hassell, or even an Elen Berger Fraser off the top of my head. They are firms with real pedigree and some international presence.
Taking a guess, I imagine it's been project-managed with Kane taking a dominant role. Perhaps, there is decent money saved on the smallish architects that would be far easier to control than a bigger name architect with more clout and resources behind it.
If 3 years gets is a premiership then I'll take whatever happens after even if it's more wooden spoons God knows we're used to that but a premiership outweighs any darkness after.
I have a feeling it will be Bennett next year but also I expect the board to do nothing and then we get more of the same.
Was Trent Robinson right, and he's heading to Souths?
Are we fast losing any chance we had?
Bennett, said this about Souths on Friday, 3 May 2024.
Compare that to what he said about us:
“I loved Jack Gibson and Ron Massey (former Eels coaches). They were big influences on my life and my coaching life but that doesn’t mean that is going to get me to the Eels.”
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