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.
Breathalyser
Guest
Parra are the perennial under achievers except for the 80's..The supporters are essentially feral, the front office is a ongoing rabble,the football side constantly crumble under pressure,they constantly cheat the salary cap,they have more wooden spoons than the Country Woman's Association..Basically they are a poor club and NRL would be better off pissing them off and bringing back the Bears
Tom G
Guest
Wasn't Arthur only appointed in the first place when Jason Taylor was pretty much across the line because of the Hopoate deal being in jeopardy?? He has had two pretty awful years and yet they have spent like a sailor on shore leave to give him pretty much every player he wanted. Under pressure?? If he does nothing with this squad then he'll be lucky to get an U20's gig in PNG.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
If the assembled team can't make the 8 then yes, he probably gets a failing grade for the year, especially if it's in part because the forwards aren't fit enough again (which was the case last year).
Doug Graves
Guest
Can't fault him much for the last 2 seasons because he had one hell of a mess to clean up, but looking at that team he's assembled I'd suggest anything other than a top 6 finish would be unacceptable for any other coach in the league. The pressure has to be on him now.
parra
Guest
Not sure about Brad's performance as coach? He appears struggle with coaching at the highest level and relatively ignored junior development, bringing players through as Brian Smith was so good at. I don't rate him as a coach and I suspect if the team do not make the finals he's out. We need Ivan Cleary.
Andrew
Guest
I am thankful for what Brad has already achieved at the eels remebering what team and culture we had prior. The pressure is on, yes, but that is the same for all coaches. I think Brad will succeed, he seems to have that chemistry with the players. I think they will make the 8. Go the eels.
Parrafan
Guest
Not sure if one bench forward will get Newcastle over the line. Especially if their halves dodgy legs don't hold up this season. But good luck to Newcastle. I hope Pauli pulls his finger out up there as he has the potential to be a big impact player.
Parrafan
Guest
New chairman in 2013, and a full new board in 2015 which got out the board members who were aligned to the old factions. So yes, board room has changed significantly.
MAX
Guest
Due to some new found positive thinking at Parra the pressure, real or imagined, has been reduced to a mere challenge. Can this team of experienced tough nuts earn 30 points in season 2016? Yes! The pressure starts if 32 points are needed. Good luck Brad. The release of Pauli Pauli to Newcastle may now enable the Knights to defeat teams which may, ironically, assist Parra's position on the table.
Pat Malone
Guest
No, they have had rubbish teams
Worlds Biggest
Guest
No question Arthur is under pressure, he has a good roster and top 8 is a must if he is to stay on. Agree the political hot potato that is there Board is an ongoing issue which Arthur and the team must rise above.
East Bound & Down
Guest
It appears the board room is where Parra was losing games from over the last few years. Has anything changed significantly in that area ? If the fish still has a rotten head I can't see the results be all that different to the last few years .
up in the north
Roar Rookie
I think all coaches have high expectations placed on them for results. But not everyone can be in the top eight. At the moment just about every team looks very strong, which is what we expect from the salary cap. The tricky part is having a good strategy to break the season down into chunks where you give yourself a bigger chance of winning more than you lose while still leaving a bit in the tank for the finals. Over the last few years the teams that have started the season like cyclones tend to run out of puff at some stage, in effect they time their run poorly. Every coach has their own idea of what they need to do to be successful and it's these subtle differences that make it so fascinating.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Definitely under pressure. This is his squad now and Parra has opened the purse strings more than any other club in the past 24 months. No excuses.
Parrafan
Guest
Under as much pressure as Ricky, and McFadden. All have assembled good squads. All clubs will be expecting finals and if they don't get there I can see a couple of sackings.
Nordburg
Guest
I suspect Arthur is under about as much pressure as Bennett,Bellamy and Barrett.If they sack Arthur,they run the risk of losing Foran,who has an out clause if he is removed -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Pat Malone
Guest
They will finish a solid 12th