From the Daily Telegraph
The axing of South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou turns the blowtorch onto another struggling mentor in Parramatta’s Brad Arthur, adding a layer of intrigue to the Rabbitohs’ pursuit of Wayne Bennett.
Demetriou and Eels coach Arthur started the week as the NRL’s most under-pressure coaches.
Now, Demetriou no longer has a job.
Arthur has the unwavering support of Parramatta powerbrokers but with the Eels facing another season of finals oblivion, the coach’s job security is looking tenuous.
The Eels are languishing in 14th on the NRL ladder and now have to turn their season around without both general Mitchell Moses (foot) and skipper Clint Gutherson (knee).
It feels like an uphill battle for Arthur. One he must conquer to not only silence detractors but the rumours – which refuse to go away – about Bennett lurking in the shadows waiting for a chance to pounce.
The axing of South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou turns the blowtorch onto another struggling mentor in Parramatta’s Brad Arthur. Picture: Jonathan Ng
Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly has made Bennett the No.1 priority and has already started work to get the deal done and Bennett has declared his interest in taking over from Demetriou.
It leaves Parramatta at risk of missing out on the coach that is arguably best suited to replace Arthur if the club does eventually part ways with the coach.
Interestingly, South Sydney are also monitoring Arthur’s situation at the Eels.
For many pundits, Bennett returning to South Sydney on unfinished business, after taking the side to the 2021 grand final, is a foregone conclusion.
But Bennett, who has won seven titles, is a shrewd operator – one that would know Parramatta is actually the more attractive proposition.
The situation at South Sydney is dire.
The side has only won two games since late August last year, there is speculation the playing group is fractured and talk management is not on the same page.
The best football appears to be behind the likes of Cody Walker and Damien Cook while Latrell Mitchell remains an enigma and the club is betting on an untried NRL commodity in St Helens halfback Lewis Dodd to lead a revival.
Parramatta are in a far better shape overall. Ironically, a lot of that is on Arthur.
Boasting the likes of Moses, Gutherson, Junior Paulo and youngsters like Dylan Brown and Will Penisini, the Eels should be in a premiership window.
No one is better at taking an experienced, but balanced side that is ripe for the picking to the next level than Bennett.
The club identified the outside backs as a position that needed strengthening and have now added Zac Lomax, arguably the form outside back in the NRL, to the mix.
It took over 12 months to land the right player, but the club managed to achieve what it set out to do.
Unlike South Sydney, Parramatta also have a seriously promising crop of young talent coming through.
The likes of playmakers Blaize Talagi and Ethan Sanders lead a cohort of impressive youngsters that also includes hooker Matt Arthur, centre Richard Penisini and forwards Charlie Gymer and Sam Tuivaiti.
The lure of winning a title at the Eels and achieving a feat no other coach has been able to since 1986, is hard to refuse for a coach like Bennett.
The option of choosing Parramatta is likely to be taken from Bennett with Parramatta unlikely to make a move on Arthur any time soon.
It begs the question, if not Arthur or Bennett, then who?
Jason Ryles is an option but is unlikely to leave the Storm even if Craig Bellamy does coach for another season. Michael Maguire is committed to the NSW Blues for at least two seasons.
Cronulla and Queensland assistant Josh Hannay is highly regarded and seen as the next NRL head coach in waiting.
But given the pressure the Eels gig comes with, and the very big personalities in the roster, the job is better suited to someone with plenty of experience.
While Arthur is safe for now, the club can’t deny that serious consideration must be given to a change of personnel.
Not at the coaching level but in the roster.
Once a formidable proposition, Parramatta’s forward pack is well below the mark in 2024.
The Eels rely heavily on the likes of Paulo, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Joe Ofahengaue to generate go forward momentum and less on outside back carries out of yardage.
But the added workload is denting the effectiveness of the side’s power game, especially in the second half of matches.
Instead of big middles bending the line, it has exposed the Eels of lacking agility and mobility in the forward pack – a cornerstone in the modern game.
Replies
Coryn, I can't remember the term Blake Solly used to describe Demetriou's coaching style - "player led" or something along those lines. What's your thoughts on this? Ever heard of this style of coaching and has it worked? I'm sure Bellamy could have implemented that style with Cameron Smith or Adam Reynolds at the Broncos. You've got to have the right leadership group for that to work and the bunnies and us are a long way off from having the right leadership as far as I can see. It's a big call relinquishing control to your players when ultimately it's your neck on the chopping block.
For sure, that's the way I've always maintained my working relationships. it's good to keep adequate distance between a supervisor and subordinates. The lines got blurred at south Sydney and things have spiralled out of control. We have the same problem but it hasn't reached those levels as yet.
We will miss the boat with Bennett and BA will get a new lifetime contract were rooted in failure as a club
I have always been an advocate for Brad and believe that he deserves a lot more respect than what he gets from this site. Right or wrong, he has always given his best for the club however I have to agree that his best is no longer enough and it's time for a change before its too late. Either Bennett or someone else, the time has finally come for change.
Nicely said Parra Dice. I myself have been victim of going over the top with the bashing of BA at times but have and always will say i will look back on BA's time fondly as he has a 53% winning record at this stage. Take out that dreadful 2018 year and could be higher. But he got us out of a hole and into relevance. We went from saying "finishing 9-12 would be great" to "We need somone who get us over that last hurdle" That is a big feat. Look at Wests who are still going through it, Madge couldn't get there. Now not saying Madge is a bad coach, i think he is decent. But BA got us relevant and we had some good years.
It is time to move on to someone new as nothing lasts forever, as good as BA is as a coach he is not on the level of those who hold posts for similar or longer time frames at one club; Bennett, Bellamy, Robinson etc. Ricky Stuart has same time frame as BA, 1 GF also but 2 prelims and has won a comp in the past which can hold off him a bit right or wrong.
I'm glad that this conversation is now being had in the open via the media. The club's management should feel the pressure to act. It's sad that it takes a media campaign to get them to take action, they should be in front of these decisions not sitting on their hands hoping the problem will fix itself.
Jim Sarantinos and Sean McElduff promised that we would be a club that would compete every year. We missed the finals in 2023 and are currently in 14th spot. Your move Jim and Sean.
What makes you think the club is taking any action whatsoever?
I think they are still sitting on their thumbs
I don't think they are either. I don't know but my gut says they're not doing anything currently.
We've approached Bennett. He wants the Parra job more than he wants the Souths job
Parrapower, can you elaborate at all? Or thats all you have been told?
You have had reliable info in the past, do trust you, just wondering if there is anything more you can say.
There was something about the way Wayne said 'consider other opportunities' the other day when interviewed that resonated, maybe its false hope, desperation, but wondered if that did mean he'd been at least informally approached by Parra.
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