The Parramatta Eels have a wave of new signings joining their ranks for next season, with the likes of Beau Scott, Kieran Foran and Michael Gordon fronting up to pre-season training at the beginning of November.
After Jarryd Hayne left to pursue an NFL career during the last off-season, the Eels struggled to find consistency within their game during the 2015 season, with the fickle Chris Sandow proving a handful for Brad Arthur.
Not only did the Eels lose their superstar, but they also lost a captain.
But with the new recruits now settled in among the Parramatta group, Arthur will be beginning to think if any recent additions are more suited for the captaincy role than current captain Tim Mannah.
A long-serving club favourite, Mannah is an ideal example for those playing and growing up across the vast Parramatta rugby league catchment. He is a suitable identity for the Eels to have as their skipper given the rich and diverse demographic of the broad local community.
The current Eels captain is also a man of high-standing and of the highest integrity, deeply devoted to his religion and family. He has been there through the highs and lows with the club, on-board for the incredible 2009 run of form that took them to the NRL grand final, and there to collect the back-to-back wooden spoons in 2012 and 2013.
Making his debut in 2009, Mannah has also been there for the continuous change of coaches, having played under Daniel Anderson, Stephen Kearney, Ricky Stuart and now Brad Arthur. It’s hard to argue Mannah’s commitment to, and resolve with, the club over his career.
However, having been through so much with the club, and leading the group through some disappointing times, is it best for the club to go in a new direction and set a new a leader in place?
With current New Zealand captain Kieran Foran joining the club for potentially the next four years, along with hardened veteran Beau Scott coming on board for the next two at least, the time for a change in captaincy could be now.
Foran presents a unique situation.
He is an international captain, premiership-winning half, popular and respected among his peers, and a commanding and aggressive player. An established half for Manly over the past six years, the 25-year-old Foran has cemented his place in the game as one of the best in the business, and his deal with Parramatta shows his worth.
Highly sought after by Brad Arthur, his signature, albeit when it eventually came, was considered club-changing. Landing a prized half, the Eels believed they will be able to construct a team around Foran, and his abilities will help attract other players of his stature.
Despite this, Foran comes into a team who’s standards have jumped between appalling and thrilling over the last few seasons. Foran is likely to fill the number 7 jersey, one that many believe hasn’t been filled appropriately since the departure of Peter Sterling in 1992.
So is Foran the ideal man to fill the role, given he will play for a full 80 minutes and be guiding the team around from his position in halves? Or is Beau Scott more suited to the leadership role?
Scott has now played 200 first-grade games. He is an aggressive and brutal back-rower who regularly dominates his opponents, and has played at three club throughout his career – Cronulla, St. George Illawarra and most recently the Newcastle Knights.
The 31-year-old has been one of New South Wales’ best over the last few years and is considered to have developed into one of the best forwards in the game. He has also played under supercoach Wayne Bennett, where they shared a no-bullshit approach and were well suited to each other.
Arthur implements a similar style of coaching, who doesn’t bend his approach for nonsense players. So there is evidence that Scott and Arthur could form a solid combination as captain and coach. Another 80-minute player and one who will set the standards for others to follow.
In a nutshell, the Eels have come to a fork in the road with their captaincy.
Stick with Mannah and honour his devotion to the club, with Foran and Scott to play leadership roles on the field anyway; or start fresh with Scott or Foran to lead the team with a demanding style that could signal a new-era for one of the games most-supported clubs.
The answer is two-fold.
Don’t establish a group of captains like most other coaches do these days, but set a new first-grade captain and gain the feeling of a new start that the club desperately needs. In doing so, don’t forget the loyalty of your current skipper Tim Mannah.
Loyalty is something that needs to be rewarded, especially at a club like Parramatta. Mannah is an ideal club-captain, a man who can involve himself with extra commitments the role carries; the sponsorship engagements, the media opportunities, the charity activities. He can be the one to take the pressure off the role for an on-field captain like Scott or Foran.
The Eels need their team to be void of all distractions, and focused on winning games. They need their on-field leader focussed on what’s in front of them, on leading the team around the park, on winning games. So a club-captain in Mannah works, because it allows Foran or Scott to focus on game day.
But how do you split the two?
Foran; the genuine half the Eels have been crying out for or Scott; a mighty forward that exhibits the commitment Brad Arthur seeks.
Foran will have enough to deal with if he wears the Parramatta number seven next season, so give it Scott and ‘get on with it’, as Arthur would say.
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