In what may come as a surprise to many of you, it has only been on the rarest of occasions that I have been ashamed to be a Parramatta Eels fan.
Since I started supporting this team, there have been some dizzying highs, including making the 2001 grand final, the magical run to the finals through 2009, being there for the opening of our new stadium in 2020 and more recently the introduction of the Eels’ NRL Women’s team.
There have also been some devastating lows, including losing both the 2001 and 2009 grand finals, the departures of key players and the salary cap scandal, which almost tore our team apart a couple of years ago.
Through all of that, my support has stayed firm and for the most part I’ve always been proud to call myself an Eels fan.
But the behaviour of some Eels fans following the loss to the North Queensland Cowboys has left me feeling pure disgust.
Following that loss, many fans have taken to social media to criticise our coach Brad Arthur and his decision to play his son Jake in the halves, forcing Dylan Brown into the centres.
The comments were nasty, pathetic and unkind. They were deeply inappropriate and they were extremely unnecessary.
They crossed the line and it makes me extremely sad to think that there are fans out there that think it’s appropriate to speak about any player like that.
Comments like that feed into a narrative of a mob mentality on social media with very few consequences for people who make such ugly comments online.
It’s easy to be brave from behind a keyboard and much harder to be brave from inside the arena.
Suggestions of nepotism are quite serious. They go to the heart of Brad Arthur’s integrity and question his ability to put the needs of the team first. They are utterly ridiculous and I find them insulting.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Brad Arthur has been front and centre for an important part of Eels history. He looked after the club as it went through a hard salary cap saga, he has ensured that the team is consistently playing finals footy and now leads a team where several players are in contention for State of Origin honours.
To suggest he would compromise all this to pick his son is nonsense.
Jake Arthur is not the reason Parramatta lost on Saturday night and the same people suggesting nepotism are clinging to an easy excuse and pushing for someone to blame.
The reality is the Eels are in the midst of an injury crisis and unfortunately most of those injuries are in the same position.
You can talk about a club planning for depth, but there would be no room in the top 30 if clubs planned for this level of injury across every position.
With Haze Dunster, Waqa Blake, Maika Sivo and Sean Russell out, the natural options to shift into the centres would be Marata Niukore or Ray Stone.
Guess what, those players are injured too.
You could move Ryan Matterson into the centres, but given how impactful he has been off the bench, this could also be problematic.
I am very comfortable to have a conversation about the Eels’ options at the moment. The decision to play Jake Arthur is not the only option.
Could we shift Bryce Cartwright into the centres? Well yes, but be aware that that may come with some challenges too, potentially in defence.
Could the Eels look to bring up Jordan Rankin from the NSW Cup? Also potentially yes, but the presence of Rankin, with no disrespect to him, is not enough to have changed the result on Saturday night.
There is not a solution staring the club right in the face now.
Brad Arthur has made a decision that he thinks is best for the team and I back him.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
I understand why fans are frustrated. The hunger among Eels fans for a premiership is real. I don’t need to remind you all that the last time the Eels won a premiership was back in 1986.
That hunger has seemed to intensify even further this year given the departure of several key players at the end of the year, including Reed Mahoney, Marata Niukore and Isaiah Papali’i.
It is not the fault of the current group of players that it has been so long since the Eels won a premiership.
Sure, the current group has not been successful yet, but they should not carry the weight of the teams from the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s.
I’m struggling to come to terms with what to expect of a team that has been so decimated with injury.
But here’s a reality check – the Eels sit fifth on the ladder after eight rounds of footy.
Sure, there are some tough games approaching against the Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles, but we will get through them.
In the last eight rounds of the season, Parramatta will finish with six home games including against some teams sitting in the bottom eight of the ladder.
This is in stark contrast to last year when the Eels had a run home featuring almost exclusively the teams sitting in the top eight.
There is a long way to go. The Eels will have several players returning in coming weeks. The situation will improve.
From Eels fans, I ask for patience and I ask for kindness too.
The playing group support Jake Arthur and he deserves our support too.
And if Jake Arthur is causing problems for your multi or your SuperCoach, perhaps put the phone down, because the money in your betting account or your SuperCoach rank should never be a reason to direct abuse toward our players.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
But that's just it. He didn't actually play that well against the Knights. Not that he was poor (well his defence wasn't great against the Knights - 20% of the Eels missed tackles were by Arthur), but he wasn't involved. Meanwhile Moses had a strong game and Brown still shifted infield a couple of times in moves which looked quite orchestrated. I don't know why that didn't happen against the Cowboys. It isn't like the Cowboys right side defence is a wall - Kyle Feldt is far from the worlds greatest defender, but they failed. it wasn't all Jake's fault. But Brad moved the form 5/8 in the comp to centre. yes they are short outside bac and someone was goign to have to play out of position, but shifting Brown was always the riskiest of moves and once it was clear things weren't working, he didn't change it up.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I'm sure they are banking on the talent in the young players, but some of their retention and signing decisions leave a lot to be desired. At the end of last season they lost Joey Lussick, Blake Ferguson, Michael Oldfied, Sam Hughes, Will Smith and Keegan Hipgrave. They didn't add to the squad. Obviously some of the money was used to upgrade some players, but where is the rest going? This year they have already lost Reed Mahoney, Marata Niukore and Isaiah Papali’i, and havent signed anyone? Again, who are they recruiting, and where is the money being spent? It's baffling
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
And therein lies the problem . Regardless of wether young Arthur or his father carry the brunt of negative feedback the problem goes a bit deeper . Whoever is doing the recruiting at Parramatta hasn't signed any real players of note for their backline . The forwards look pretty stable but over the years have turned over quite a few mediocre backs apart from the Fijian winger so a lot of this is of their own making . I'm sure Brad Arthur would have some input into his son being selected .
Short Memory
Roar Rookie
Jakob Arthur played 5/8 against the Knights the previous week and they went okay. So as obvious as it may seem to you in hindsight, there was recent evidence that he probably was the best option. You also don't suggest who you would play at centre instead of Brown? Parra have had a horrendous run of injuries to outside backs, and centre is a crucial position in both attack and defence. Apart from Matterson (who is playing for a contract) which other player really stood up in that game? The Eels were ordinary right across the park. Just my opinion, because I'm not a professional coach, but if BA failed at anything, it was getting the team up for the contest - not in selecting the best lineup from the players available.
Redcap
Roar Guru
O brave new world, that has such people in 't!
Jim
Guest
Jake Arthur was not the reason the Cowboys scored 35 points. The people that came out bagging Brad and Jake have no idea of the game at all and they are on social media sites every week bagging Brad. I agree with you totally Mary but the simple fact is these people won't stop. They are experts in their own minds yet show by their remarks that they actually have no idea. They did make the rest of us look bad but I have faith that most people understand that the people making those comments are not a reflection of the Eels faithful and that those same people will continue to hide behind a keyboard and type their degrading comments because that's all they do.
Cam
Roar Rookie
I think most people saw the team sheet last Tuesday and immediately the question being asked was "why is Brad Arthur moving the competition form 5/8th and busting up a successful halves partnership with Brown and Moses?". Hypothetically, if Dylan Brown had been injured and Jake Arthur was selected to play in the halves (and puts in a shocker), no one bats an eye lid. I think 99.9% of the criticism has been directed at Brad Arthur's selection, rather than Jake's performance. For mine (and I know I have the benefit of hindsight), Cartwright would have been a better selection in the centres, although it would have made little or no difference to the score, Eels were pretty average right across the park.
GC
Guest
I’m not a Eels fan, but I hate social media. I left a while back and when I was on there, I was so disgusted what fans say about players/coaches. Players/coaches have real lives too. Any criticism is disgraceful on there
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I was ridiculed for saying that Api K was indeed a good player and we could win a title with him at hooker at Manly. Couldn't pass and missed too many tackles I was told. Put Cameron Cullen at hooker or we'd get the spoon was the guarantee. The main problem is the same clowns never learn and whenever the scoreboard isn't to their liking, out comes the same old nonsense.
RLFan
Roar Rookie
I didn't watch the Parra/Cowboys game, so cannot comment on it, other than to say that the Cowboys will probably surprise a few teams. However I can comment on social media, which I think has done more damage than the benefits which it was supposed to bring. Parramatta certainly does not have a mortgage on online idiots - they are in every club and throughout society. Some of them have little knowledge of the game and the players they are targeting, but that doesn't stop their barrage of hurtful comments. Social media has given nasty people an opportunity to vent without fear or the consequences.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
It has been busy on 1 Eyed Eel this week. Lordy lord. Check it out!!
Albo
Roar Rookie
They are in plague proportions throughout society. Social media is just the conduit for giving them a platform to expose their boorish nastiness. Any true footy fan, understands the situation at the Eels right now regarding the vast number of injuries to their outside backs. And we know that Brad Arthur's integrity cannot be questioned. Both Brad & Jakob have all the respect of the true footy fans.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Great article Mary. Sport is just like any other area of the workplace. If Coles or Woolies management hire a relative, there will always be some people who will cry”nepotism” even though the employee is an efficient, competent worker. Brad Arthur is in a difficult situation as his team’s losses will provide the “brave” keyboard exponents the ammunition to criticise his son. I recall Darren Lehman as Australian Cricket Coach saying he will leave the room when Jake was being considered for selection as he felt there was a conflict of interests. Difficult situation to manoeuvre.
Great times
Guest
They were some team to follow in 1981-1986, Mary. Could conceivably have won all those years but for various contingencies.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
What coach wouldn't react during a game when his left side is being ripped apart ? All 6 Cows tries thru poorly positioned Arthur, Brown and Perham ( who the Panthers will be all over this week). Brad's the one the fans should be hoing into here.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
At least another club at some stage signed the Walters kid. I doubt another club with sign Arthur
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Social media gives people a voice, but most people are idiots
max power
Guest
he wont compromise but he may have an inflated opinion of his son just like Kevvy Walters
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
Leave Jake and Britney alone. Brad Arthur won't compromise Parra's success just to give his son a game. Not with the 36 year drought. It's like when Chris Anderson dropped his son from a final in 1999, and Melbourne went on to win the comp. The team comes first.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
ME EITHER!!!