Opinion

Time for the Eels to part ways with Brad Arthur

09 Aug 21, 2:38PM 0 Comments

Written by Oliver Kellner-Dunk

Photo by Getty Images

August is here, which we can of course tell by looking at the Parramatta Eels form over the past month which consists of one win and four losses.

All jokes aside, the fact that this Eels side, one that is very capable of winning a premiership, consistently fades away towards the end of each season is appalling and it is now time for the club to make some changes to help them get to the next level, with the biggest change being to part ways with Brad Arthur.

Before criticising Arthur, it is important to acknowledge the amazing job he has done as head coach of the Parramatta Eels.

When taking on this role in 2014, the Eels were reeling from two straight wooden spoons under Stephen Kearney and Ricky Stuart; however, under Brad Arthur, the club has gone from dwelling at the bottom of the table to premiership contenders.

It has been an amazing story of a rookie coach coming to a club at their darkest hour and giving them a new life, but all good stories must come to an end and Brad Arthur has run out of pages.

So why should the Eels part ways with a coach that has done so well at the club?

Well, it’s simple, certain coaches are only capable of taking a side so far before it becomes time for someone else to take them to the next level.

Take what Newcastle did with Nathan Brown as an example to an extent.

At the time of his hiring in 2016, Newcastle was reigning wooden spooners and would go on to finish last on two more occasions, but Brown was eventually able to shake up the roster and get the Knights to a consistent mid-table level, with emphasis on the word consistent, as in 2018 and 2019 the club would finish 11th on the ladder and require somebody who could take them to the next level despite the amazing things Brown was able to do at the club.

Brad Arthur is a great coach who will certainly get another job in the NRL, but he has reached his glass ceiling at Parramatta.

The Eels need an experienced campaigner with plenty of experience leading teams deep into the finals, and while Arthur can still gain that experience as a head coach in the NRL, he can’t while at Parramatta.

When a coach has been at a club for an extended period there always comes a point where it is mutually beneficial for the two parties to go their separate ways, and that time has come for Brad Arthur and the Parramatta Eels.

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