Eels Blogs

With young Jake Arthur about to don the blue and gold in first grade again this week, albeit from the bench, a lot of the more boisterous members of 1EE are up in arms about the move. With calls of Giraffe,  Handbrake, the Nepotism debate, the carrying a half on the bench being stupid, BA the bush coach, BA the dope, BA dosnt know what hes doing, moving Dylan to center to accomodate JA is stupid, and thats just a small sample of the last 24 hrs on 1EE, you get my drift.

I thought i would take a real look at the JA debate and BA's decision because i just dont see why some of the supporters are so critical of the move, and i wonder if it is as simple as the hate BA brigade might as well also hate his son JA.

Jake Arthur 19 years 8 First grade games 2 tries , 3 try assists , 2 offloads, 4 forced drop outs.

NSW Cup Parramatta 11 games, 7 tries, 10 try Assists, 6 offloads, 13 forced drop outs.

Now those stats look bloody good to me in NSW cup as well as First grade. He obviously has ability and any young player would love to have these types of performance numbers, it would appear, certainly to an outsider that he is being chosen on merit. It is well documented that he is one of the top 3 fittest players within the club, at 85Kgs he isnt the smallest either.

The carrying a half on the bench debate, with BA dosnt know what hes doing, its nepotism, its stupid etc. - I decided to have a quick look to see what other coaches were carrying on their bench, this week.

Fitzgibon Cronulla carrying Braydon Trindall as number 14 on bench a halfback.  -  Walters Broncos carrying Cory Paix on Bench a halfback

Bellamy Storm carrying Tyran Wishart on the bench a halfback - Brown Warriors carrying Kodi Nikorima on bench a halfback.

Maquire Wests carrying Jock Madden on the bench a halfback - Robinson Roosters carrying Drew Hutchinson on bench a halfback.

Barrett Bulldongs carrying Bailey Biondi Odo on the bench a halfback - Griffith Dragons carrying Talatau Amone on bench a 5/8.

Cleary Penrith carrying Jayden Salmon on the bench a 5/8 - 

So it would appear that a number of the top clubs / teams and top line coaches are carrying specialist halfbacks and or halves "5/8" on the bench. I dont understand why our own supporters are singling out BA and Jake as something unusual something sinister, as something seriously wrong. It would  appear that carrying a halfback on the bench is actually the preferred choice of most of the clubs.  Id suggest we are lucky to have one with the composure and skill set as 19 year old Jake. In the years to come i suspect Jake may do the club proud as he learns his craft from the bench and NSW cup.

The 5/8 Dylan Brown to centre to accomodate Jake in the side is stupid and the BA dosnt know what his doing as a coach argument.  Once again I dont understand the problem Dylan Brown at centre actually strengthens our team especially if used correctly by swapping and slipping into 5/8 to keep the opposition guessing. Having 3 points of attack, Moses/Brown/Arthur, the defense must stay spread out , to cover each of the 3 threats, the opposition cant just target the one playmaker as they are left exposed by the other 2. Its a win win win situation, especially if done correctly, and allowing for the 3 to swap around, play second phase play deeper and wider at times. The defense are kept guessing.

This is actually out of the playbook of one of the best coaches ever to coach first grade. The Master coach Jack Gibson  responsible for our first 3 premeirships would move an absolute legend , hall of famer and one of the best 5/8s ever to play the game Brett Kenny from 5/8 to centre on many many occasions. In fact he would swap Kenny into a centre position quite regularly If its good enough for one of the best ever, i dont think BA doing it with Brown and Jake is too much of a stretch. 

I have read a lot on 1EE from supporters that are hating on JA saying his too young, not enough experience, dosnt have the body, is too slow etc. However those same people are actually demanding other young players that are in the same boat and possible less skilled to have their chance in first grade. Names like Cini, Perham, Hand, Miretti, Rodwell, Zakhem, Komolafe, and others are bandied around as better prospects, or they deserve their chance, or sentiments similar. I ask why would you afford those players the respect when they are in the same boat as JA, they are also inexpereinced, they are young, they will also be better in years to come playing NSW Cup first, they havnt fully grown, they are good players, you get my drift. All these players may very well make first grade and ill support them as well, but at the moment none have better stats, higher fitness, more composure, then Jake currently has. My point is the reasons given to keep JA out of the team are the same reasons people want other young players included. 

Perhaps its time to let up a touch on the JA hate, He is capable and is a young talent, that may very well rise to greater heights in years to come, he might fail as well but i doubt it. He is representing our team our Blue and Gold, i just think its time for people to get behind him, forget his surname , it dosnt have anything to do with it, this kid can play, attack his stuff ups for sure, but dont attack the kid because of his name. For the record Ive never met Jake, and I have no affiliation with the Rhinos etc. 

So ive called a few supporters here out, just like 1EE was designed to do, and i welcome comments showing  me where im missing the point, what im not seeing, because from where im watching from , the only real reason that some want to keep JA out of the team is because of his surname, or they want to be part of the boisterous hate BA gang at any cost.