- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
While Sharks coach Shane Flanagan and Titans counterpart Neil Henry have every right to be hot favourites to win the NRL coach of the year award, Parramatta’s Brad Arthur is my pick.
He has been to hell and back this season through no fault of his own, surrounded by either deadwood or pathetic administrators.
The administrators have been sacked, the club fined a net $750,000 for rorting the salary cap – and deservedly so.
But Arthur’s roster has been docked 12 hard-won competition points. The players have done no wrong, nor the long-suffering fans.
And who was the cool customer keeping the players and fans as positive as possible under the circumstances?
Brad Arthur, the man is as strong as an ox.
He lost teak-tough forward Anthony Watmough with a serious knee injury that forced him into retirement, but at least that relieved salary cap pressure imposed by the directors.
But there was still pressure, so classy hooker Nathan Peats was shipped off to the Titans, leaving another huge hole in the diminishing roster.
Then out-of-the-blue signing Kieran Foran became a terminal club casualty.
He switched from Manly to Parramatta to be coached by Arthur, but Foran had far too many personal issues and was released from the club after just nine games.
Then up popped Semi Radradra and Corey Norman as more problems for Arthur.
Super winger Radradra took off to Fiji and eventually returned charged with domestic violence and tottering between staying with Parramatta or signing with French rugby. Then he injured his knee and looks like being out for the season – his future unresolved.
Norman is a loose cannon just waiting to explode, his future also very cloudy despite his obvious talent.
And to top off Arthur’s nightmare season, Parramatta missed re-signing Jarryd Hayne which also affected many supporters.
But again no fault of Brad Arthur who is looking to next season without talented fullback Michael Gordon who has signed with the Roosters.
It was Gordon who kicked the 79th minute penalty last round to end Manly’s chances of making the eight.
Yet all through the nightmare Arthur was always the front man with the media, always answering every question no matter how hard the answer.
Brad Arthur is a very special human being, and deserves to be recognised as the code’s coach of the year.
None have done it tougher, and kept smiling.