Going into his third season at the helm of Parramatta, Brad Arthur will most certainly be under pressure to deliver in 2016.
Since Arthur took the reigns of the Eels at the end of 2013 the team have shown glimpses of promise but have been underwhelming. They finished 10th in 2014 and 12th in 2015.
While many will say 2015 was a write off due to the loss of Jarryd Hayne to the NFL, critics may not be as kind in 2016. This is the case especially considering the Eels’ aggressive recruitment drive.
Arthur has now assembled a team of his own and has been busy acquiring some of the biggest names in the NRL, including New Zealand international Kieran Foran, NSW Origin representatives Michael Jennings and Beau Scott as well as Michael Gordon.
Arthur himself has said the time for excuses is over as the Eels look to break their six-season finals drought. Parramatta legend Peter Sterling recently said on the Triple M rush hour “if they don’t play finals football this year, even at this stage before a ball is kicked, it would be a disappointing season.”
Parramatta have consistently underachieved since the 1980s, despite having one of the best junior leagues in the game. Arthur was brought in to turn this around, but the Eels are very much still a work in progress.
With one of their best squads on paper since their 2009 grand final appearance, it would be fair to say Arthur is under a lot of pressure in 2016.
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