Another NRL season is drawing to a close, and while many are fine-tuning their match preparation, the rest are left to their ‘Mad Mondays’ and season reviews.
The Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys have already sacked their coaches, with other coaches likely to feel concerned about their positions heading into the off-season.
This is of course not the case for former Eels coach Ricky Stuart, who has escaped the sinking ship that Parramatta has become. He’s picked up the Raiders coaching vacancy and returns to the club where he became a superstar during his playing days.
Stuart’s exit though, has plunged the club into further complications. One of the highest profile coaches in the sport has left, and the Eels board will have to work extremely hard to convince another coach of Stuart’s quality and experience to take the reins.
It will be a difficult task: entering a club which has been in a rebuilding phase for far too long, in addition to working with an apparently divided and hostile board.
Will this scare off any of the main contenders for the position? Or is the prize of an NRL head-coaching job too good to refuse? No matter who ends up coaching the Eels, it is obvious they will need a strong support network within the club and the community. This is not a one-man job.
This brings me to my personal favourite NRL commentator, Mr Peter Sterling. The former Eels legend has made a great post-football career in the media, taking his amazing football brain from the field into our lounge rooms and radios.
In amongst the testosterone-filled group of former players that make up the commentary teams, he has made his name as a serious and intelligent football analyst.
Historically he has refused to be drawn too far into the problems that have faced Parramatta since he retired as a player, although his opinions in regards to Chris Sandow’s time at the club have no doubt played on the minds of all Eels fans.
Despite Sterling’s relative objectivity to date, it’s time for the Eels to start looking to him for guidance.
As a former Parramatta player, Sterling will know the culture of the club better than most. It’s a culture he, along with the many other greats from the Eels’ history, helped shape.
Whether this culture needs to be rebuilt or requires a complete overhaul, ex-players like Sterling will know what works.
His knowledge of the game is second-to-none, and he still reads the game as a halfback does, knowing what is required in each particular instance of a match, in order for the team to be successful.
It’s what made him one of the great halfbacks, and one of the most insightful commentators.
Any team would benefit from his advice, especially an Eels side that is low on depth in the halves and too reliant on fullback Jarryd Hayne.
Sterling’s media presence would also immediately be a boost to Parramatta, were he to link with the club in a formal or contractual way.
When watching the footy coverage, we all know Sterling is associated with the Eels through his former playing days, the same way we know Andrew Johns is linked with the Knights and Paul Vautin with Manly.
However if Sterling was in the Eels camp on a weekly basis, he could easily become another focus-point for the Eels in the media world by providing an official link with the club.
It might not be to the vocal extent of Phil Gould with the Panthers and formerly the Roosters, or of Eddie McGuire with Collingwood, but it would give inside knowledge into the Eels and a way for them to promote their club in a positive manner.
It’s highly doubtful that Peter Sterling will be the next coach of Parramatta; neither will he be the next CEO. In fact I don’t know exactly what official position he could fill within the Eels hierarchy.
But whoever is currently pulling the strings at the Eels would be well advised to enhance Sterling’s involvement with the club.
He seems an intelligent, considerate man as well as a passionate Parramatta supporter and ex-player, who would always have the best interests of the club at heart.
Whether he chooses to help the ailing Eels, or decides to stay out of the mess that Parramatta has become, is yet to be seen.
Mark Wallace
Guest
Who would touch the position of CEO at Parramatta. It is a club in crisis!!!! There is a rumour that the CEO of Football Federation Tasmania is going for the position. All I can say is Good Luck and I hope you like being the go too man. You will be ruled by them and wont' be allowed to be your own person. I think the whole board needs to be scrubbed out and an independent to be brought in.
eric
Guest
Parra has won it 6 years in a row in the 50s and 60s. Many other teams have won it 2 in a row. Last to win it 3 in a row is the gold coast chargers. But worse than winning the wooden spoon is being a salary cap cheat.
BULLDOGS 4EVER
Guest
parra going for three wooden spoons in a row.that why stuart pull the pin
BULLDOGS 4EVER
Guest
sterlo would not know how to coach.As for parra no coach would be able to help them.get ready for your 3rd WOODEN SPOON in a row, have any other teams done it LOL
Magic sponge
Guest
Sterlo is a genius and would b a great coach. Come on Sterlo nothing to lose.
BULLDOGS 4EVER
Guest
the best thing parra can do is bring back the great Denis Fitzgerald & forget about Sterlo as a coach
eric
Guest
Someone should start a Facebook page. Sterling to coach the eels
oikee
Guest
His reputation cant get any worse, i mean he is now taking his frustrations out on Souths and the Burgess boy. You can cut the anxiety and hate he feels against this player and club with a knife, and it's infectious, all the other panel commentators are getting on board and sinking the boot into Sammy Burgess. Leave him alone sterlo, go help that basketcase club you have continued to ignore, i bet he is the first to turn up to a grand final win by the Eels, same as Gus is now climbing all over the Roosters.
Magic sponge
Guest
How could Sterlo lose his reputation eels can only go up. Perfect timing for Sterlo to take it on
des right hand
Guest
Sterlo won't coach the eels for the same reason gould won't coach the blues... They don't want there legacy or image to be ruined! Sterlo is a parra great and Gus is the best blues coach in history.. sterlo doesn't want his name next to the spoon and gussy boy wants no part of the 8 years qld dominance simple as that!
matthewthorpe
Roar Pro
I think even the Souths players were surprised when the Chambers effort was called a no-try
Stanley Bridge
Guest
+1
Tony
Guest
Parra’s board might be in chaos, but so is Manly’s and only yesterday they were hurling AVO’s at each other. The Sea Eagles have a winning culture, however, with strong loyalty at it’s foundation. I can only remember 2 coaches who didn’t play for them and one was Graeme Lowe, a good bloke who did well without winning a premiership. The other was Peter Sharpe (or was he just the Northern Eagles?) and I remember once at half time and well on the way to a flogging, he actually refused to speak to the players in the break. This reminds me of Ricky Stuart whereas a guy like Tooves bleeds for the club and his players. Parra maybe need to nurture future coaching staff from their own ranks instead of their ex players going into admin ie Fitzgerald, Edge, Pricey, Sharpe etc. In the interim, what’s Jim Dymock doing these days?
ken oldman
Guest
Ray Price was once a Wallaby.
Hilly
Guest
You lost me at: "convince another coach of Stuart’s quality and experience to take the reins". Stuart is an absolutely ordinary coach. The ONLY success he has had was with a Roosters side who any Tom, Dick or Harry could have coached to a Premiership.
Paul Callings
Guest
Congratulations on Souths winning on Friday night. Beating Melbourne in finals football is significant and a 2 week recovery in the modern game is their reward. Souths were on the end of 2 favorable decisions. 1. The no try rule in the first half was caused by the touch-judge being too slow to get in a decent position to check the grounding which on the limited camera angles seemed to indicate a try. Certainly if benefit of the doubt was around it would have been given by the video referee. Jarrod M couldn't award it from his position however did his best to try and get over to the action. 2. Video ref got it wrong. Will Chambers did nothing illegal in challenging and contesting a ball in the air. He didn't lay a hand on the player and the bumping was mild to say the least. The video referee and the touch judge in these 2 plays handed Souths 8-12 points. 12 months ago , North Qld v Manly semi-final 2 poor decisions where also made. In 12 months nothing had changed in the refs making the wrong decision in crucial games like the final series. Solution: The NRL need to install more Camera angles in the in goal to assist the referree and marginal decisions should favour the attacking team and in the spirit of the game. The decision last night killed a grandstand finish. Judication in Sport is sometimes about facilitating a sporting finish when a decision can go either way. Food for thought: If the Melboune no try in the second was lets say a Sydney team on the attack, the 80th minute and Grand-Final day and 3 points behind, would have the same poor decision being made by the video referree. I feel it wouldn't of even went upstairs by the referee and that would of been a fair decision , a sporting decision and the right thing to do for the players, the fans and the game.
eric
Guest
The are many parallels between the Eels and the current Australian Labor party. The Labor party have Kevin Rudd. The Eels have Denis Fitzgerald. Denial after Denial but we all know Denis is behind a some of the destabilizing. Briefing and backgrounding the media, just like Kevin did to Julia. We all know that Denis wants the job back and won't go away and give others free air to do it just like Kevin. The board that took over experienced the same things as Julia did. Julia could not prosecute any positive achievements with " clear air" in the media. The board made the same mistake when appointing Ricky Stuart as Julia did when appointing John Mcternan. Both Ricky and John loved aggressively prosecuting their case in the media. You live and die by the media. The Eels needed a Bennett type coach that keeps the team out of the papers and the radio. Take the sacking of the players. Every club has done that, this is not new, so why was it made so public and done mid season. Like the Labor party, the club is addicted to drama and the media. The club needs to realise that it should follow the path of the quiet achiever and work together as unit to be the best they can be. It will be very hard work and commitment from EVERYONE AT THE CLUB. That is when the mighty Eels will become a successful club again. To all those in the past, you had your turn, just let it go. To the club now, forget the paybacks and who is aligned with who, just focus on the Eels. Come together and UNITE and please don't tell everybody that you have. Words are cheap. Actions speak louder than words.
oikee
Guest
I dont think Sterlo needs to coach, i just think he needs to put some input into the club and get behind them uinstead of coming out to knock coaches who dont want to be at this disfunctional club., Sterling adds no confidence to the players or staff. Kearney was a classic example of being left hung out to dry. I also think Sterlo's opinion is starting to get fudged, even last night you could hear the anger, the biase in his voice as he questioned why Burgess should not get 10 in the bin. Sterlo, that is not your job to put players in the bin or say they should be binned. He is losing the plot the hatred he has for Souths, maybe he should be banned from calling Souths games. Sterlo has sat back and watched the Eels rot on the vine now for 10-years and done nothing. Now compare that to what Gus Gould has done for the Panthers. I see even the Tigers are dragging themselves out of the gutter.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Ok, I'll ask. Why have the Ed's put a picture of Ray Price on a stroy about Peter Sterling? Are they one and the same?
SuperEel22
Roar Guru
I have asked Sterling and he said he won't be drawn into coaching the short-term but he won't rule it out entirely. In other words he's too smart to coach Parramatta at the moment. He fears being labelled as the next Jack Gibson, the same way Stuart was. Sterling has said repeatedly he believes the Eels need to move on from the 80's. Too many people keep trying to draw parallels between then and now. Quite frankly I agree with him. We need to remember the old times but not let it be a burden. We need to forge a new identity and have new legends. You can't get there living in the past.