Many people in the NRL community, supporters and experts alike, are beginning to acknowledge that Brad Arthur is a coach of the highest calibre. The transformation of the Eels as a football team has not been an easy fix, but the change is now evident. As more pundits begin to talk up Parramatta’s credentials as genuine finals contenders, the question must be asked – when do the Eels lock Arthur in for the long term?
Is It Too Early For This Discussion?
Brad Arthur’s contract expires in 2017, so this would normally be a fair question. Furthermore, it is not unusual for coaches to be signed to two year contracts or extensions, making it early days in the context of a contract’s life. However, this is now the third season that Arthur has been at the helm for Parramatta so judgements can be made about where he has taken the club and the importance of what lies ahead. If Parramatta doesn’t move on a decision, someone else will.
The other factor impacting any potential negotiation right now is the drama surrounding the current investigations into Eels’ governance issues. Therein lies the danger of distraction. A matter of great importance becomes overlooked when urgent attention is required in other areas.
Naturally, people will advise that such governance matters are of the highest priority and need to be sorted first. Indeed, BA himself would probably not agree to extend with such a cloud of confusion hanging over the club. However, opening up negotiations, holding preliminary discussions with him and his manager, would at the very least send a signal about how highly he is regarded by the club. I’m not sure that this has happened.
The Value and Cost Of Being A Parra Boy
Brad Arthur and his family are Parramatta to the core. They have a long association with the Parramatta club and the junior district. BA has gone on record as stating that he is a Parra boy through and through. Without question, Parramatta has a coach who is passionate about the club and returning it to the greatness that he would have witnessed as a young fan. He also has a genuine desire to be at the club for the long term. It means that the Eels have a coach who is driven, not just by his own professional desire to achieve but also by his desire for lifting the club that had featured as a huge part of his younger years.
The ideal position? It should be.
Parramatta took a punt on Brad Arthur. Although he had a fine pedigree as an assistant coach, NYC coach and bush coach, he was unproven in the cauldron of the NRL. As such, his contract was at a rookie level. Even with an upgrade as recognition of the early hard work, his contract was not going to place him up near the upper echelons of coaching contracts.
My concern lies with Arthur’s loyalty and passion for the club being taken for granted when it comes to his next contract. There are certain clubs that need major repair work carried out on them right now and would be looking for a coach who has the strength to see them through some tough times. When one considers the media scrutiny being placed on the Eels right now, there could be no question about Arthur’s resilience and ability to excel under pressure.
Brad Arthur addresses the supporters at the recent Open Day.
Where Have We Come From?
The low depths of the Eels’ position on the NRL ladder in the three years prior to BA’s arrival have been well documented. It would be nothing new to explore the embarrassment of capturing successive wooden spoons. What we need to examine is the magnitude of the task that confronted Arthur and how he continues to meet it.
Essentially, Brad Arthur inherited a team which revolved around one player, Jarryd Hayne. It was amazing to have the most talented player in the game as a loyal blue and gold man, but developing and utilising the players around him never seemed to feature in the coaching plans. If Hayne wasn’t in the team, the likelihood of manufacturing tries, let alone wins, was grim. Hayne was there to create the tries, and Hindy old son, chalk up a few tackles if you wouldn’t mind mate!
Furthermore, the Eels had a reputation amongst other teams as being psychologically weak. If the going got tough in a match, the discipline would crumble and we would be easy pickings. In short, we lacked resilience.
The representative coaches that Parramatta recruited only succeeded in plumbing the cellar depths that had not been as frequently visited since the 1950s!!! After Mr R Stuart bailed, it’s been the mission of our home grown coach to turn the ship around.
What Has Arthur Achieved?
Firstly, and importantly, respect! Respect for our football team. As fans, premiership success is our dream for the future (maybe soon). Having a team that we can be proud to support is our reality right now. No longer are we witnessing regular embarrassing performances. Rather, we are following a team that leaves the opposition battered and bruised and makes the commentators sit up and take notice.
Without doubt, Arthur has changed the culture of the team. It comes comes down to toughness, discipline and pride. For mine, all three go hand in hand and it begins off-field. The players are trained to be disciplined, resilient and to push through mental and physical barriers. They are well looked after, and player welfare is not in short supply at the Eels, but BA is not interested in anyone who is soft. Being soft will not lead to success on the football field. Coaching the players to be skilled footballers is still paramount to Arthur, and is a major focus of the training sessions. However, possessing all the skills and talent in the world will count for nothing if you can’t handle physical and mental adversity.
Yet the real transformation in the culture is surely based on pride. To elaborate on pride, it is necessary to examine the off-field as much as the on-field.
The on-field is as simple as having pride in both personal and team performance. You can read it on the faces of players who are dirty about losses or their less than ideal personal efforts. The reactions after the Broncos loss spoke volumes about this.
The longer term effects of personal pride benefit both the players and the club. The players become better people. It’s fact that they take pride in their home at Old Saleyards and are rostered on to duties in keeping the place tidy. Names mean nothing in that regard. Furthermore, the players are encouraged to take pride in who they are and who they represent. As fans, we are acknowledged by the team for our support. Having witnessed Tepai’s interactions with fans this year, his growth as a person under Arthur’s leadership has been impressive.
Tepai Moeroa – growing as a player and a person under the coaching of Brad Arthur.
One cannot ignore Arthur’s ability to attract quality recruits. The names Foran, Scott, Jennings, Gordon and Watmough speak for themselves. Don’t kid yourself that other players and their managers aren’t touching base with the Eels as they look to further their careers in a quality football operation.
Of course, it’s not a few quality recruits in isolation. It’s been about the bigger picture. Professional and skilled coaching staff and support staff have been assembled. Player contract terms have been changed so that players prove themselves before they are signed to longer contracts. Other players have been selectively released. The whole club, from Junior Reps through to the NRL squad, is being put on the same page with the same ethos.
Where Are We Heading?
I’ll make no bold premiership predictions, but when the culture of the club has been changed by a coach, it would appear logical that the longer term entrenchment of that culture would be linked to the longer term tenure of the coach.
That is not to say that the change is only superficial. Rather, it is a reflection on how recent the change is and how important it is to embed said change under Arthur. The concern naturally remains that Parramatta has a recent history of coaching change which is perhaps part of the cause for the monumental task inherited by BA.
And let’s make sure that we add further context to what the coach has achieved. Everything that Arthur has worked towards has been accomplished against a backdrop of one of the most politically volatile clubs in the NRL. Certainly it’s something for him to be proud of.
In summation, we cannot afford for the great strides made by the football department to be undone by oversight, or by taking Arthur for granted. Let’s not insult a bloke who, after all, is still a professional coach with a career to carve out.
So in answering my own question I say this – we need to lock Brad Arthur in for the long term, before another club does!
Sixties
All images courtesy of the Parramatta Eels
One can only hope the right people are reading this because i believe its critical not only to the long term future of our club but more importantly thier OWN !!! Im a voter and the future of BA will determine my vote and after reading this ive done a quick ring around and the support for BA was overwhelming ,wake up board this could save your necks !!!!!
Even if it doesn’t save their necks, giving Arthur long term security in the role could save the team from falling apart in the event of yet another inevitable change of board and CEO.
Absolutely Pou! Absolutely.
Grumpy, we will not let up on this issue. For us the performance of the football team is of paramount importance. This club can return to great days under BA because he bleeds blue and gold AND he is a quality professional coach. As an Eels footy site, we are fully behind the man transforming our team.
To lose our coach now or at the end of next season would amount to a loss of coaching history learned over the last three years or the time that Brad has been there. When the coach goes it normally means that the other coaching staff go as well. This means that there is nodody left with the coaching and cultural history to continue the good work.
In years gone by good coaches would only last maybe 3 years (Gibson) however these days good coaches stick around for a decade or more (Bennett, Bellamy) which will embed the coaching philosiphies and football culture history into the club as a tradition. The other thing that this ensures is long term stability and good onfield performances sustained over the period.
As an outsider looking in it is difficult to know just how hard it would have been coaching the Eels with the Salary cap and administrative issues surrounding the club over the recent history of the club. Certainly it was too big of a task for SK and RS. The player roster was a mess and it took somebody special to work thru these issues and come out the other side with a team that is now capable of making the eight.
Now that we have this person we need to ensure that the history is kept at the club for a long time yet. We need to build on the curent squad year on year. A lot of hard recruitment decisions will need to be made from this year as we improve moving forward. some good players are going to leave because of cap issues and this will be a challenge to the coaching staff.
The best person to lead this club is BA and like you Sixties the sooner we extend the better. Do not give the others a look in.
Outstanding reply John. Can’t really think of anything to add to it!
Tremendous response John. Well said.
What a great comment John. You have probably been far more succinct than I have been in my post. No more coaching merry-go round. Let’s lock BA up long term and ensure long term success/cultural change.
I’d all be for extending his contract now for sure but if I were BA I wouldn’t be in a hurry. For starters he might have his hard work undone by penalties imposed by the NRL and might just think stuff this I’ve had enough; or if he continues to have the team firing and they go deep into the comp then his worth as a coach must increase. He is in the box seat,but even so the man that he comes across as being I don’t think would want that sort of distraction at the moment.
60’s great read & John good comments & really hit the nail firmly on the head.
BA, is without doubt where our future is in regards to head coach, perhaps a new term as Executive coach may be looked at by the club, meaning he is in complete charge of recruiting the coaching staff he wants across all grades of the club. The old issues that seemed to be there between BA DA may also have been resolved & having them share the same vision & goals must also work in our favour. That leaves the clubs board & associated issues there to be resolved, & that cannot come quick enough, although the current board should be meeting & ensure at this AGM that steps are under way to secure BA for the future.
On that score, nothing preventing the CEO & board from providing BA with a vote of confidence by advising him & his agent/manager they want to secure his services long term. Once the fiasco is finished, then it would be time to enter into the negotiations long term extension of the contract with an initial take up of the option along with further extended options.
Trapped and Colin, it’s certainly a difficult time to be examining this. I agree that BA would want board governance issues resolved before committing and without doubt going deep into the finals would increase his worth as a coach. Yet I look at it another way. As a club, we can surely see what this bloke has put in place. His value to our club should be reflected in any offer, and if it’s indeed reflective of his value, the bloke is where he wants to be. At the very least, as you suggested Colin, we need to communicate our thoughts to him or his manager.
Colin I dont believe the issues between BA and da have been resolved ,in fact i think its the opposite ,da was never appointed by BA in the first place it was tom ISSA making decisions on behalf of the coaching staff simply because da is his mate,in truth he didnt give him a job that he had to perform in or lose it he gave him a 4 year contract that BA had no say in but ISSA makes most of the decisions in this club he just dosent own them .
Grumpy, at least that’s one melting pot that seems to have the fire cooled, at least on the outside. IIRC DA was appointed around the same time or earlier than BA, so we are looking at a rough 3 year tenure for DA this year, or maybe earlier as he was brought in prior Brad being given the coaches role.
I don’t know much about some on the board but little snippets seem to tell me that maybe Issa is a bit of the core issues in that department, & he is being targeted along with Sharp as being the ones who get shafted. Anyway, lets keep this side of the club a better place than the others, sorry! I started it.
Would be fools to let BA go though.
Great read 60s
you so often have the ability to write what I am thinking
Great minds mate!
Agree with the sentiment that BA is our best option for the next 1-3 years. Right direction but not our most pressing issue. Better not to rush this discussion:
1. it lets BA establish himself as a winning coach and improves his negotiating position
2. with the club being in the middle of a smear campaign the club is in a defensive mode, better to focus on resolving all hints of salary cap & TPA issues
3. we have another round of instability coming up with board elections in May – this is the sort of strategic decision is for a newly elected board.
Like Colin is suggesting, timing would be in July so BA’s position is clear before the next round of player movements start.
His future will need to be secured sooner rather than later. The current issues will have to be resolved before he would extend, but we need to let him know where he stands. Too many players will have their contracts under review in the near future – if BA isn’t locked in the chances of extending or keeping key players would be much more difficult, if not impossible.
Lets hope we dont lose points then before july because i believe that would be the catalyst for an exodus that will undo every thing thats been achieved !!!!
1Day we don’t have elections coming in May. We have an AGM where there has been talk of a potential No Confidence motion on the current Board. That would trigger an election.
Hopefully the NRL will finish their investigation and announce the outcome before the AGM so we can all clearly understand how the future looks.
In my view, if we want BA as the coach, I would be doing the deal now and announcing it. It would only settle the players, staff and fans down a bit and be some welcome good news. He has to stay, clearly.
Chris, I actually am thinking you are correct in the assessment & it would be ideal if BA does have his contract extended ASAP, rather than later.
The only way he would not be wanted was if there is a big problem at the AGM, &/or before then especially if the NRL comes down over the leaks, meaning a new board especially one installed by the NRL would be not likely to get involved with any extension of the coaching staff, especially as he has till end of 2017 to go.
Any delay in a extension could well affect what players would sign on for longer term contracts even of 2 years or more.
Spot on Colin.
How cool is Old Saleyards for the name of our HQ.
I thought BA got an extension just after foz signed?
In any case i agree he should be locked up long term, we need that stability long term.
His contract ends next year. Have a look at the player contracts that end then.
Edwards
Folau
Gower
Gutherson
Ma’u
Mannah
Moeroa
Morgan
Takairangi
Terepo
Twal
Foran too, if the alleged option is in his favour.
A few of those significant ones would probably look to coaching stability before inking again. I wouldn’t mind betting that Corey Norman adds a coach clause to his next deal.
I am now actually wondering if part of Jnr’s decision to head south may have been a result of BA’s coaching tenure as well the board problems??
It may be a reason as RW & the raiders bosses would not have been interested in a 1 year deal, likewise the timing of the new contract could have been delayed by Jnr & his manager until after the cap issue has been resolved, while the raiders have a history of making offers & then setting deadlines to sign otherwise its withdrawn.
The off contract players end of 2017 is a huge list, with many be mainstay players needed to take us into the future, while some may not be resigned for the top 25, the majority along with Norman would certainly be looking at the clubs stability & more especially the coach. The big thing is that the club has been a full target of media speculation this year (& the past few as well) with much being directed at the Chairman, & BA has been able to hold the roster together despite it all, he may get them through the current one as well but, without him as well as needed others, we could see a very different set up without him.
Big shoulders are needed by BA as well as the execs getting their house in order as well
Colin, Juniors decision was made solely because of the stupid amount of money offered to him by RS. About $200k more than what we were offering, and why wouldn’t he. His contract is only for 2 years, my thoughts on this is that Junior is leaving his options open as to whether he comes back to Parra or not. Would be a shame but if we win a premiership during that time and he misses out.
Glenn, while I agree in regard to the money side of things, there’s also little doubt a lot would have been playing on his mind, he still has his civil charges to deal with, & sometimes a climate change works well also, especially with that hanging over his head.
Our club & if I understand correctly are making a line in the sand regarding offers, a good thing & what BA & the club agree on, we are not the soft touch of the past. Raiders offer was too good to refuse, but if he misses a trophy, also he could be SOO player & international here, but who knows at Canberra. But, as I said Canberra also have a history of setting a cut off date & players sign or shoot through by that date, there is no doubt that has happened in this case also.
2 year contracts are not unusual but, they are not that usual with top liners, & Jnr’s not quite there yet, & on that score I think there is something of hedging his bets or the like in this deal, I may well be wrong though.
100% he should be renewed.
I’m not really worried if they chose to extend him this year, or next, but there has to be the
‘know how’ to get the extension done. That’s where the worry comes from given the muppets in charge at our club. It wouldn’t suprise me in the least if the suits in charge think the hard work is done and they can sign any budget coach to finish the job from where it is. It’s a no-brainer though. To continue the development of the current culture and keep somebody in charge who by that stage has 4 seasons to know the ins-and outs of the club should be priority number 1. Continuity and stability in the coaching ranks is something we’ve needed for ages, please don’t blow it.
Regardless of how good a coach is, they do tend to get stale when they have been at a club for an extended period. I think that is why Jack Gibson never spent more than 3 years at any one club. Therefor our club should only offer a 2 year extension but not keep the same coach for an extended length of time.
For BAs long term aspirations, stating he is Parra thru and thru, might also limit his appeal to other clubs but if his CV includes a premiership I’m sure he would be in demand.
Jack Gibson, had the belief regarding 3 years being the maximum time he would coach based more on lifting a team/club & setting them on a path to the future. He was very ably assisted by his right hand man Ron Massey, whom Jack described as the brains behind it all. I am glad to have seen his results under the old game, & many have wondered how he would go these days, but his art in motivation would not be lost.
Wayne Bennett is considered the modern day equivalent & more so than Bellamy, yet both these coaches along with Gibbo, are selective in who they go to, Bennettt started at Canberra, & had success over the many areas except with Newcastle where many think he destroyed the club. Where then does BA sit or fit in with these men, & lets not heap too much on him though, especially with the raps put on Maquire at Souths & Robinson at Chickens, both hailed as the next in succession for the super coach mantle, not yet anyway.
BA, should be looked at more a long term coach here but when I say long term my thoughts are around 4 years at the most after his current contract runs out. After that, his best position for the club would be as coaching director or executive coach, which would or could very well mean incorporating what affectively is the current position held by DA. Much of the direction NFL has taken is in the roles of their coaching staff, for all intended purposes their head honcho is more analytical than being totally hands on, with the other specialised coaches working through feed back sessions. That sort of thing is where I believe NRL Coaching is heading in the future, would be good to see us as leaders in the field rather than catching up in years to come.
The separation of the Leagues Club & providing the new facilities at the old saleyards is a big step forward, & a sign of the future, the old is not gone but its new, our history survives but new culture & into the future.
Resign him now!! he is our greatest asset. Players want to be coached by him!
Great read 60’s, I think some clubs will come knocking on the door if BA’s tenure isn’t extended soon. The million dollar question and in reality it probably is a million dollar question is how quick the board move to extend & upgrade his contract.
Playing the devils advocate I think the board will move sooner rather than later, the mail is to strong that the complete board can not survive as is. This could be the last hurrah for some current board members and they can go with the knowledge that they helped start the fundamental rebuild of our club and a legacy that will be remembered for many years with BA in charge.
It’s a no brainer in my mind. The players have bought in big time and the attitude speaks for itself.
Thanks for the read Sixties. I’ve only just seen this one now. Been a busy week.
I concur with the thoughts you have written and that of others.
BA has developed a better squad and the depth is a good sign and I point to the results in the junior teams. He seems to be covering the bases well, and the players so far are showing improvement. I agree with discipline and toughness being some of the keys he has instilled. Respect too, and not making excuses for bad results.
Great read – thank you and we hope the board sorts this out soon.
I’d say you’ve read my mind but that may be dangerous…..
Occupational hazard perhaps Mitchy.
You and I see eye-to-eye on many things Sixties and a great post from John – very well said.
The biggest reason to extend Arthur and to do it now is because of the players Pou highlighted as being off-contract.
We’re heading into a period now that if our form keeps, these players values have the potential to rise significantly. Extending the likes of Semi (who’ll obviously be a massive challenge to keep), M’au and Edwards early, as we did last time they were off-contract, was a masterstroke. Since then all three (among others) have seen their values go from fringe/average first grader and to above average first graders/stars.
If we can extend the likes of these three and others, maintain that tight core for seasons to come, then we’re securing our medium to long term success on the field and setting up a group that will be well placed to not only regularly challenge for the title, but be influential in the next generational change in the squad – Arthur and his staff are the key to this and extending his contract will allow the rest to fall into place.
Clint, they are absolutely crucial to this. When one considers not just the attitudinal change within the squad, but the development of the players under BA’s tutelage, the extension of his tenure is a must.
Brisbane has just extended Bennett to the end of 2019. His record is outstanding and it sends a message of stability, in spite of his age. Parra need some stability, especially in the current climate.
What is the hurry? If we have him until 2017 we should look at it later. I agree on the comments about him as a person and what he brings. However he has not reached the semi finals yet as a coach. If we make the semis, then re sign him by all means.
Cagey, I know there are a lot out there that want BA dumped if we don’t make the finals this year, saw some that see a minimum top 4 being required along with a fewer amount wanting the trophy itself. The biggest reason I see with the calls is that BA finally has the squad of his choice & none of the left overs from past coaches.
One can well feel for most of the reasons that also include the long wait since our last success, too long say many of them, thing to me in that argument is that many eels foundation supporters never witnessed an eels victory at all, my late dad as an example, I was born in 1947 the year the eels came into the comp, so a double meaning for him, I was privileged to be at the SCG when we got our first trophy, my mate whose Parra taxi driver dad crippled & was able to watch the win on TV, was still crying hours later such was the pressure cooker relief of many of those in that era. 35 odd years was the wait, we still have a few to go to equal that gap.
To me its too big a gap anyway, but if for whatever reason we do not win this year, even should through some quirk happen to miss the finals this year I would hate to see BA dumped as coach, or some threat of him being replaced as a result. I do not believe that many of the past great coaches would have had the demand of success placed on & weighed down their shoulders as the pressure applied to an eels coach, I oft wonder who has the biggest burden to carry, coach or whoever wears the # 7 shirt at the eels.
Recent super coaches who got quick comps for their suffering fans include Robinson, Maquire, & Green, only Green has not had his team go through a post trophy slump, yet the knives are out for Robinson already just as they were for Maquire last year. Here’s the thing to consider with both those coaches & their positions & align it with BA, if they & BA were to be sacked after a seasons failure of not measuring up to fans expectations, who would be a choice to coach any of those teams?
I am talking here of 4 basically inexperienced coaches, with only a few first grade years behind them with the primary clopboard in their hands, yet we, the fans, (I oft wonder at the use of the word supporters so wont use it here) want almost instant & ongoing total success, failure to meet all the expectations means “Onya bike boy”. Seems harsh or what?
Here we have the makings a success era that has now entered its 3rd year, Head coach BA has assembled a new guideline of staff their positions a & roles, it has all the coaches on the same page, with a structure that is rolled across the NRL, U20’s, Wenty, & Junior rep teams, the Wenty structure also goes through to the lower grade teams there as well. There is usually a combined training of players where the same set of requirements are in place, a replacement player from any grade already knows how he fits into the new set up. It is something we as a club has never had previously, & it shows the professional direction the club is heading, & its going to lift this club & affiliates into a very bright future.
Should the call to not resign BA for a long term come sooner rather than later gain momentum & we end up losing him, we also would likely lose much of the support structure personal that he has assembled as well. worse still who will we get to replace him? Of the real successful coaches out there, ones with experience are all locked up, & I cannot think of any who would come near us even if the back office situation is fixed.
To not get his signature on a contract early, we risk losing him as many other clubs would be watching him with an eye to signing him. The other aspect in this which begs the question, Should BA not be signed & he goes, how many of the current players will stay? Sure there are some especially the older ones who would stay & see out their contracts, but what of the younger ones who have 5 or so years to go, no doubt some may stay while others may go, but I wonder how the others would really feel & will they want to stay as well? We have a fair few imports, but there are also some young locals & others coming through the juniors that see a future here & want to be part of it under the headship of a coaching team that can lift their games to a higher levels.
So, the old adage of birds in hand against the wild ones in the bush.
Outstanding comment Colin. Other coaches talked about 5 year plans. This is because of the work needed to sort out all levels of the operation. It’s been a monumental task thus far and I think that BA is possibly ahead of where he thought he would be at. He needs to be retained and it’s a priority – he’s setting the club up for sustained future success.
Mate. I would go further on this & think I have mentioned some aspects elsewhere or perhaps in this thread already.
The sooner we can sign BA long term to the club, & allow him to take the whole plan he has forward & bring it totally into operation, the better placed we will be into the future. The 5 year plan stuff that we had under tacky, & that under implementation by Penrith & others is basically crap, as it sets a date line that may or may not be achievable, Penrith with GG as supremo probably has the closest one to success so far, but I don’t think its as good as what BA is doing.
This concept under BA needed the past 2 years along with this year to get it going, this year with his appointing the coaching staff at each level is something he had planned & worked towards its implementation, Penrith is GG’s & he’s only the strategist for it & hands off the players/coaches etc. BA is head coach & supremo combined, a huge difference owing to ours being the one in control by means of hands on & selling it all to the club & best of all the coaching staff, & players, all of whom want in on it.
If BA steps aside as far as the NRL coach is concerned, he needs to be employed under what the NFL has, that being the clubs coaching director/executive coach or whatever tag is needed. A position that has oversight of the whole coaching set up, training- planning & the like. Planning would include such things as tactics & indentifying players who fit into certain positions, which I also see having players that are not just there to fill a spot in the team but also mentors to younger players that play in the same position. Other words, what Flash was brought into the team for with Bevan French.