There are giant expectations on his shoulders but Jakob Arthur is ascending towards first grade with a single-minded determination worthy of any fairy tale hero.
Everyone knows the story about Jack & The Beanstalk. Jack, a destitute country lad, makes the gamble of a lifetime when he trades the family cows for a handful of magic beans and the promise of fortunes untold. When a colossal beanstalk sprouts from the beans overnight, the curious and enterprising Jack climbs the mutant flora and discovers the existence of a world in the clouds which is home not only to a giant but a golden goose and much, much more.
Our protagonist Jack outwits the fearsome giant who is out for the Englishman’s blood. In doing so he reclaims a trove of familial heirlooms headlined by the gilded goose which the giant had long since stolen from Jack’s family. The climax of the old tale sees the intrepid explorer of the skies fell the enraged giant by taking the old Trevor Gillmeister to the beanstalk and thusly reclaiming his family glory forever after.
For Jakob (Jake) Arthur, the hero of this particular story, the allegorical parallels to the fable of Jack aren’t exactly perfect but they twist themselves in a fascinating manner to give life to an exciting story in its own right.
As the eldest son of the Parramatta Eels’ head-coach Brad Arthur, one might argue that the opportunity provided by his birthright is akin to that of Jack’s magic beans. It is certainly true that his father’s station has afforded the young half a pathway in rugby league. However, to suggest it is why he is now where he is in the code is grossly disrespectful to the unrivalled commitment and dedication of the youth. Indeed, the single greatest benefit afforded to Jake as Brad’s son is that he inherited the toughness and determination that has taken his father so far in rugby league.
Jake’s path to the NRL is embodied by the beanstalk. A long and demanding climb that will ask everything of the young man and more. For Jake though, there is no giant awaiting him at the summit of the ascent. Instead, the giant is always with him, always weighing him down. A mountainous burden on his shoulders born purely from his surname. For Jake Arthur the scrutiny of fans and media alike is far more intense than almost any other prospect. The snide calls of nepotism and preferential treatment will always follow him regardless of his own legitimate talents. Just as Jack before him blotted out the blood-curdling taunt of ‘fee-fi-fo-fum’, so too must Jake ignore his detractors and remain resolute on his goal, on his golden goose as it were.
Intriguingly though, while Jake’s ‘golden goose’ lies in the possibility of a lucrative NRL contract down the road he is simultaneously the golden goose. As a talented young halfback that is confident in marshalling his team around the park and proficient in all three phases of attacking football (running, passing and kicking), Jake is already a coveted commodity. Throw in his elite conditioning, even by demanding NRL standards, and his plus defensive ability for his position and his upside is damn near impossible to ignore.
At 188cm tall and working his through the early 80s in kilograms, Jake Arthur is still a ways off being physically ready to handle the rigorous demands of the NRL. It is going to be a year or more until he is ready to be chopping down that beanstalk. Still, he possesses the sort of frame that can comfortably grow into a NRL calibre physique. Should he grow proportionately in mass relative to his height then he will be a truly difficult proposition for opponents as both a running half and a defender.
He has taken to the 2020/21 preseason like a seasoned professional, leading the team in fitness drills and excelling in field sessions as he directs his vastly more senior cohorts. It should also be keenly remembered that Jake piloted his school, Patrician Brothers Blacktown, to NRL Schoolboy Cup glory just prior to the summer of 2020. Jake shone brightly as the captain and general of ‘Patties’ meshing the flash and pizazz of a strong running and passing game with the suffocating constrictions of his accurate kicking and resolute defence.
So what exactly does 2021 have in store for the protagonist of this particular story? The ground is already out of sight for young Jake and the clouds are tantalisingly close, that is for certain. Despite being eligible for the newly ratified Under 19s iteration of the SG Ball (which begins this weekend, coverage right here on TCT!), I will be stunned if Jake plays a minute of that grade. Instead, Jersey Flegg (Under 21s) and perhaps even Canterbury Cup are calling for the young playmaker this year and I am unbelievably hyped to cover his progress through these grades over the year.
In a manner, Jakob Arthur is the symbolic figurehead of a rising wave of young talent at the club whose fortunes are almost inexorably interlinked up until first-grade. Arthur is the face, the protagonist, the symbol but there are plenty of others climbing beanstalks of their own. It is truly an exciting time for the Eels and I sincerely hope fans can enjoy it for it is. They have assembled a fantastic roster in the NRL and have a host of young bloods nipping at the heels of established talent. I won’t quite dub it a golden age until we secure the drought-ending premiership but we have it pretty damn good.
For Jake though, the intensity of the scrutiny on him will only increase from here on in but he hasn’t cowed under the pressure up until this point. I don’t expect him to falter in the future either because he is damn right chip of the old block. His story is still only beginning but as fans of the blue & gold we are intrinsically tied to his journey and you can bet that TCT will be there to document not only his ascent to the summit, but the respective climbs of all of Parramatta’s young prospects.
Forty20
You don’t succeed in the NRL on a name alone,if he makes it, it’s because he has the talent and the drive to make it.Good luck to him,hope he becomes a Parramatta Legend.
Well said Eggman.
A lack of hard work certainly won’t be the reason. Jake is any focused and dedicated as any prospect I have seen.
Forty. Great story and the fairy tale seems to roll on.
Not being able to see the game these days except when on the box, I looked forward to watching that Blacktown vses Westfield sports high in the GF last year, hope I got the teams right.
Up until that match I had only heard some talk of the bean boy, would not have known or recognised him even had a tripped over his roots, 0oops boots. But as that game settled into a quality joust between two very good young school boy teams. The size of a couple of the Westfield boys was incredible considering their age but they also appeared to be islanders so no surprise there & they played a hard game of RL as well.
Being a Westy and eels supporter with Cumberland almost in my back yard, the roots were and still are there for me. As the game looked to run away from Blacktown (IIRC) a thin stork of a kid took charge & I had no idea who he or any others were in either side, later I was to find out that the stork was Jacob Arthur. To wit he was the game changer & winner for Blacktown.
Certainly the game was fast paced for the age group but I would also say that Jacob certainly showed his goods with the way he moved around the ground and took control when and where needed.
Early days for him, but from what I saw he is a player that will be going places and do a good job. Thing is that he will need to fit into a team likely having some limitations to his play but with the ability to learn and conquer those limitations. I look forward to seeing him play going forward, & actually would love to see him in the trial game against Saint George in a couple of weeks time.
Great reply Colin. The greatest assets possessed by Jake are his composure and intelligence. As a game manager, these are a great platform for him to build on. Until he plays NRL, we are talking potential, but he’s thriving in the full time squad.
Colin the first I saw of Jakob and his brother was as ball boys on game day.
A couple of seasons ago I went to Wyong to see a junior rep game and Jakob was warming up when I arrived.
To start with I did not recognise Jakob, I thought it was him but I could not believe how tall he had got. He looked like 2 yards of tap water.
He played a good game that day, his kicking game especially. I was talking to Paul Crawley after the game and he thought he had a great game also. His only critique was that he should have run the ball more. I have seen him since and his running game is ahead of that day
The other stand outs that day were Hughes, Hollis and a winger whose name escapes me. I thought that he may have been African but not sure.
It was a 20’s game and the Roosters had a lot of older kids
Interesting description John 2 yards of tap water. I used to be slightly under 6ft, my late dad was 6’2, our two sons, 43 & 40 are both around the 6’3 mark with oldest one a shade higher, his son, & our grandson is likely around 6.5, plays union & RL in winter & bums around at other times.
It seems a phenomena in many ways how both boys and girls are growing tall, our 12 year grand daughter is around 5’8 already, and brother near my height now and he’s 14.
We do have some tall & lanky players in the team but same in many other clubs as well, I really am looking forward to this coming season, especially if I understand right that CC and the 21’s will also be playing in 3 match days, and the CC is to be televised also hopefully the 21’s, will be a really good year methinks, in more ways than one.
Think that was the same game i saw John, it was a decent day and warm too and also easts did ok. I agree, his height as half had me thinking not a chance but he has done v well, along with the other young guys in the mix now. Go well Jake, and thanks TCT
Do you remember who the winger was? I think he was left wing.
Matthew Komolafe
Thank you
No mate, but I recall Jakob’s passing and kicking game. Our forwards also looked v good. I actually think we lost either Matts or Ball that day. Parrathruandthru has his name….
I have watched Jake playing through the juniors and heard the opposition give it to him over who his father is and that in itself make his journey to a prospective start in the NRL harder, but this kid will hopefully shut the tormentors up with his actions.
Well noted Jim. I’ve heard that too. But that composure and temperament holds him in good stead – and when he makes an error, he just reloads and goes again. A good quality to have.
Jim, I think the name comes with the territory, and have seen how other coaches kids have copped it from the opposition, especially the opposition supporters, reminds me of the old Lolly Legs cat calls when penalty goals & conversions were being taken with the opposition giving them heaps. loved it!
Good read!
With that height and still only 18, what are the chances of him being 100 plus kg and an edge forward by 21…….interesting couple of years in his development and how he develops physically…
That will be interesting. I’m not sure where he gets his height from. BA is nowhere near that tall. In the short term I reckon they be happy to get him up to the high 80s in weight.
Sixties, maybe we can send him sone of Kens’ Mornays to get the KG’s on!! Leave the chunky beef for me pls…
We just finished the last that we brought home a few weeks ago. Must be due for another central coast Ken’s trip soon.
I will email some over to you, or Uber down!! 🙂 Look fwd to it.
Don’t think his physique will see him pile on muscle and kegs, prob end up a taller Jason Taylor or similar to Dylan Brown, his work ethic and training regime won’t see him muscle up like a forward.
I find it difficult to see him coming close to backrower size as well. If he can get in range or a smidge over 90kg I think he will be in relatively good stead for the NRL.
Like Jim, have seen Jake make the progression from the time he came to Sydney when BA came to the Eels. He has always been a calm head and very hard worker, my opinion is he is the best half I’ve seen for a long time. Would rate him as high as Nathan Cleary, except he is not a goal kicker.
Went to Kellyville Park training; this week, and he and the development boys weren’t put of place with the NRL players. He takes the line on when necessary and has a more than decent passing game both sides, defence is possibly one of his better traits.
Given time to mature, more physically than anything else, he will play NRL and have a decent career. He played some time in the reserve grade trial before last season was called off, at 17 he handled it against some boys from West’s Tigers.
Fit , committed, a team player and just hope he is not put up too quickly, would expect reggies by the middle of the season and see what happens from there.
Reggies would be a good learning fit for him Derek. It was a good session for you to watch, and enjoyed catching up with you.
A great read
Forty goes well doesn’t he!
Thank you!
He will make in spite of his name not because of it , theres no free rides in the NRL !!!!
Absolutely true
great read 40.
I agree!
Cheers Mikey. It always means a lot to get that kind of feedback.
Great article as usual. Does BA have any other kids coming up thru the grades and are they any good?
Actually young Boods (Matthew) is 16 and moving through pathways. He’s a dummy half and tough as. He is often at training during school holidays, helping out with gear, jumping in to help with drills, running with the squad.
Always up with front and tireless , tough as old boots , like his bro reads game beyond his years , surprised if he dosent make it !!
I’ll be stunned too.
Well said. And you sorta know this young bloke will be a decent citizen. Good luck to him.
Well said.
I coached junior rugby league for over 10 years in both the Saturday and Sunday comps with the Smithfield Bombers and Cabra leagues. Yes I started as a dad with the with the under 6’s and did my level one coaching course then over the years got my senior club coach accreditation as well as president for the Bombers. I think I put in a fair effort looking back I sometimes wish I had just stayed a parent on the side line because my son ended up giving up because of the constant abuse and back stabbing I received at the hands of the other parents. We won the premiership at Cabra with the under 12’s in division 2 and all of a sudden I was coach of the year as far as the parents were concerned, but that moment was a very brief one and possibly the only one in 10 years. As much as it pained me I loved coaching and I knew it was for the boys and for my son. After the games on Saturday a few of the boys would end up at our place to have hot chips on rolls and play footy in the front yard and they were the moments I now look back on with a smile on my face as I am right now writing this line and remembering.
The following season with the under 13’s was one I would rather forget which is sad because it was my last season as a coach because at the end of that season my son gave up. He was a bit older and understood what was happening to his dad so to save me from constant treats and abuse he gave up the game he loved playing. We spoke and I told him not to worry about it because I can handle it but I knew he couldn’t anymore. When I look back I see he was disadvantaged being the coaches son and that’s why I said there are times I wish I was just a parent on the side line.
Don’t get me wrong, I will treasure the extra time we spent together due to the great game of rugby league but I also know what Jake and Brad have had to endure to get to this point.
Jake if you read this, know that you deserve to be there and that you have had to put up with a lot more than others will ever have to.
Coach Jim, there were parts of your reply that left me a bit teary- your insight about what junior coaches might go through is a lesson to anyone who might want to have a crack at people who volunteer for roles. As someone who has coached young kids in different sports I understand the time that you would have devoted to it. But you also coached your own child, and you have had the joy and the challenges that only someone in your position can understand. It’s sad that your experience ended the way it did.
i reckon that anyone who’s been through something similar would be nodding.
I’ve attended Parra district grand final days over the years, and seen finals that Jake has played in. I’ve heard comments that he’s ignored – much to his credit.
When BA takes his coach’s hat off, and gets to be just Dad with his kids, he can be proud of the young people that they have become.
Is he too tall for half? – RM is 194cm
Is there a perfect height for a half in the modern game? I think the only criteria is whether a players build prevents them from executing what they need to do in their role. A taller build, especially if accompanied by increased bulk, might open up the potential to play in other positions that require bigger players. In Jake’s case, he’s a game manager. He reads the game well, is composed, and has a terrific passing and kicking game. That’s his skill set, so he should play where that will be best utilised.