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
Who'd have thought that signing old blokes to mega rich long term contracts could come back to bite us. Seems even these journos forget that Mark Oneill exists. Talk about a nobody when even the journos circling for blood don't remember you're alive 😂😂
Well two of those blokes are the ones we cannot afford to lose.....nice admission on your part Wiz.....Are you OK, I am just a little worried that you didn't understand or see the benefit? hate them coming up for renewal now.
Stop hating Wiz, the world has enough hate in it already!
I think the biggest problem with this club is we have a huge catchment but we aren't a development club.I think that's our weakness we are governed by the player market because we are just not good enough at developingand bringing through enough FG talent.It reaches a certain point and for some reason the rest don't meet the standard to play up at the next level.
This is the difference between us and Riff there losing top tier talent but the machine keeps rolling we lose similar if not lesser talent and fall apart.This is our biggest issue.I mean seriously now this team was built for a 3-4 yr run and that time is nie at an end for guys like RCG Paulo Matto Joe O and alike where is the replenishment.We've got spots open in our top 30 but non are filled.Our res grade is struggling our age grades are hit and miss.
While I would like to think just rolling in another coach with this roster would help.I think much like with the current coach it's a band aid fix.We need a guy with a master plan and the method and right people to fix the above mentioned until then we'll always be hit and miss as a club.
Fair points Coryn, Brad is definitely not the only problem in isolation.
Obviously to be successful at this level takes teams of professionals, brilliant in their own ways, and Brad should be followed closely out the door by others.
A lot call on development / pathways, and maybe you are spot on, but I still see success flowing more like a 'figure 8', not linear from the ground up.
The success of our top grade should also be filtering down through our pathways.
When our first grade side has had consistent defensive deficiencies, leadership, mental & cultural concerns for a long time, its impossible to think that doesn't also impact our lower grades? Impact them 'buying in' to the club?
We could have brought another 6 kids into grade over the past 2/3 years, would they have ultimately solved defensive failures that first grade players have been unable to fix? Competition for spots would help, I hear you, and maybe it's cynical but imo developing more juniors would not have prevented where we stand right now.
If for absolutely no other reason, BA has to fall on his defensive sword.
In 11 years, we have had a defence capable of contending for a Premiership 1 time. Since Round 17 of 2023, we are the worst defensive team in the competition with the Titans.
If we as a club don't hold the head coach accountable for that statistic, we are beyond help.
As an aside, my Youtube account has been bringing up Eels games from the last few seasons where Eels have won. (Obviously the Youtube algorithm knows what I like to watch). What has stood out for me is that almost every game that has come up, the commentators are saying things like "Where has this been from Parramatta" or "This is a chance for Parra to get their season back on track." Under BA we've always been a team that has big dips in form throughout the year.
You know who wins the Premiership? Almost always it's the team that has been the best team all year. Aside from the occasional team coming from nowehere (think Cowboys 2014, Tigers 2005) it is almost always the team that finished 1 or 2 on the ladder with the best defence. In 11 years we've never been that side and we're getting further away from being that side. If the Board can't see that and act then maybe it's high time they were replaced too. Members still own this club.
Mutts, that's an interesting observation, but very accurate.
Every year there is at least one period where we drop off a cliff, especially defensively, then fight our way back. Its just not sustainable.
To win a Premiership over the past 11 years, we would have had to have been a defensive statistical anomaly, and as you have said, that is incredibly rare in the modern game.
It's that defence alone that should be forcing the boards hand right now. We aren't up & down around the top 8 like in the past, its dropped to bottom two over a 15 game period.
It doesnt have to be personal, if it was Wayne Bennett himself who had coached the Eels over 11 years & had a similar downward trend defensively, his head would & should be on the chopping block also.
Let's be clear here, with Moses playing every game so far we win the majority of those games. Remember we had a good win against Manly the last game he played. Maybe his long kicking game has plastered over the cracks that have appeared of late, but a win is a win.
There's no excuses for the defensive deficiencies whatever he's tried to implement it hasn't worked.What's frustrating is in isolation again much like a lot of things this team does it shows it can defend.
The Cows game in the major semi multiple games against Riff the first manly game this year they held them for 60 minutes without giving up a point.
Ultimately Jeykl and Hyde just doesn't work in this league and consistent disruption also magnifies this.As before we need games to go a certain way for us to win.
Do we need change yes but I still believe whoever they bring in the way we are built I don't see a quick fix with this roster.Lomax helps next year but with fowards a year older and not too much on the horizon and the majority of cap spoken for I don't know.
Its definitely concerning Coryn, because as we've been saying for a while now, the domino effect from our underworking outside backs impacting our overloading engine room, is likely causing a lot of the defensive fatigue to begin with.
Seems to compound when we can't score points & get that breathing room (and time).
Which is why we can defend like those games you have mentioned, but cannot sustain that level for long periods?
I'm still not sold part of our defensive failings aren't structural, systematic, also. Thats purely opinion though.
They have to bite the bullet on some players.
RCG and Matto is where I'd start I'd let both walk for starters.
The worse thing is I don't think Grieg can give you the minutes and outside of that they have no juniors steeping foward That's the concern Do they move Gutho to centre next year and try Talagi even Lomax at fullback who knows.
Gutho to there going to have to cut him loose at some point in the next year or 2 also.If they can offload that cap they can go shopping and add some more talent as I'm not sure how good they'll be next year.
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