There is probably no job in the world that I would want less than being a coach in the NRL. When a team is going well, the players are hailed as messiahs and the role of the coach is largely forgotten. However when a team is struggling, the coach comes under scrutiny.
Just look at the Dragons and the Sharks. In recent weeks it has been their coaches which have come under fire.
Coaches are not only responsible for strategy but also team morale, player welfare, and ensuring that the team is working as a cohesive unit.
More than ever, our clubs are being seen as businesses and whether a team is winning or losing on the field has dramatic consequences. Coaches are under more pressure and has more public scrutiny than ever before.
One team that has changed coaches almost as often as often as Fui Fui Moi Moi changed his hairstyle in recent years is the Parramatta Eels.
Since Michael Hagan left the club in the mid 2000s, we have been coached by Daniel Anderson, Stephen Kearney, Ricky Stuart and Brad Arthur.
Since Arthur has taken over there have been huge changes, partly due to the new coach, but he has been supported by a more stable board arrangement and a happy and committed training group.
Despite these factors, the role of the coach cannot be understated.
The signing of Kieran Fora earlier this week is the final puzzle piece to fall into place, and I am confident the Eels are a club on the rise. This is, in part, thanks to our magnificent coach.
It started with results. In 2014 the Parramatta Eels posted more wins than they had in the 2012 and 2013 seasons combined. Despite a number of key injuries, the Eels managed to finish just outside the eight – a dramatic improvement on the wooden spoon which we had collected the year before.
While it is still early in the season, the team’s positive results from last year seem set to continue. We have shown our attacking prowess on the field, and even without Jarryd Hayne we will be a force to be reckoned with. What will cause the Eels problems this year – as we saw on Friday night – are injuries.
While Arthur has managed to achieve results on the field, the biggest change of all has been the perception of Parramatta off the field. Parramatta is no longer seen as a club where players come to die, or where players come and then plateau. Parramatta is no longer the joke of the NRL.
Before Arthur, poor results, issues at a management level, having very few representative players, and constant instability with coaching staff meant that Parramatta was seen as a club that killed careers. To lure any sort of talent the club had to pay massive overs, which had an impact on depth in positions and resulted in players being signed to deals which saw them overstay their welcome.
Neither Kearney nor Stuart had much success on the recruitment front, and in fact Stuart will be remembered for letting players go rather than attracting them.
Last year Arthur managed to lure Anthony Watmough, as well as Beau Champion and Reece Robinson. The cherry on top came this week when Foran committed to Parramatta from 2016 onwards.
One of the big reasons for Foran’s move has been the appeal of playing with Brad Arthur, who was an assistant coach at Manly in 2013 when the Sea Eagles made the grand final. Foran has spoken extremely highly of Arthur and as a Parramatta fan, this is so pleasing.
This signing is massive for Parramatta – as significant as the late 1990s when the Eels managed to recruit Dean Pay, Jimmy Dymock and Jarryd McCracken. Foran has committed to a future at Parramatta and for Eels fans it’s bright future.
I want to say a big thanks to Brad Arthur for helping to make it happen. I want to say a big thanks to him for the change he has helped bring to our playing roster. I want to recognise his talent as a coach and I look forward to the next couple of years with him leading my club into the future.
So to a man in a position which rarely gets the credit that it deserves, but often receives much of the criticism, King Arthur – I’m very pleased to have you as the coach of my team.
This is @mary__kaye from @ladieswholeague
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