Parramatta’s squad has come under the microscope as the Eels sit one game away from bouncing out of yet another finals series in straight sets under Brad Arthur.
Pressure is mounting on the Eels coach after managing only two finals wins from nine appearances — but the focus has now shifted to the roster.
According to NRL360 co-host Paul Kent, Parramatta need a “circuit breaker” and Arthur may be forced into making signficant changes to his side if the Eels are again unable to mount a charge to a drought-breaking premiership.
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Both of Parramatta’s star playmakers, Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses, are free to negotiate with rivals come November 1, with Moses having a player option for 2024.
The pair headline a long list of off-contract players, including Waqa Blake, Nathan Brown, Bryce Cartwright, Shaun Lane, Will Penisini, Mitch Rein, Sean Russell and Maika Sivo — while Reed Mahoney, Isaiah Papali’i, Ray Stone and Marata Niukore all depart at the season’s end.
With plenty of cap space, and a number of roster spots to be filled, the Eels could make a big play for a “superstar” in order to take out the top gong.
“I don’t know if he (Arthur) deserves it (the pressure), but it is legitimate, Parramatta are there to win premierships and Parramatta fans are there to win premierships,” Kent said.
“You can make the finals for the next 50 years Parramatta, but if you don’t win a premiership it hasn’t been a successful time.
“I don’t think the coach is the circuit breaker though, I think the roster is.
“Brad Arthur needs to have a look at his roster, because I think Brad Arthur has got it in him as a coach, 15 teams don’t win the premiership every year.
“They are (there to win premierships), I think at some point he has got to sit down and say that this roster might not be the roster to take them to a premiership.
“If he doesn’t make the change or fix that, then look at the coach, but the fact is, no one at the start of the year tipped Parramatta to win the premiership, very few had them in the top four.
“They need to get a superstar game breaker, Parramatta for all their talent, I don’t believe they have a Tedesco, Cleary, those players who are matchwinners.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley explained Arthur had done a “tremendous” job at the helm for Parramatta, but could be faced with “tough decisions”.
“He has to make the tough decisions, and you aren’t talking about the players on the edge of the roster, we are talking about the big players,” Crawley said.
“They are going to have money to spend,” The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio said.
“He has been a tremendous success for Parramatta as a coach, he picked that club up after the salary cap crisis, and all the boardroom problems they had, he pulled them together and built a great roster,” Crawley said.
“But he has been there nine years, he has won two finals from nine games, and sometimes if it doesn’t work you just need a circuit breaker.
“That’s the position that I think Parramatta are in now.”
While Kent and Crawley believe the Eels needs to bring in a star player, The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio highlighted one strength of Arthur’s coaching that is not often talked about.
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“The strength of Brad Arthur’s coaching is development of the player, look at that roster, the development of Isaiah Papali’I, came from the Warriors cheap,” Riccio said.
“Shaun Lane, Mitchell Moses has never played better footy, Dylan Brown continues to develop.
“That’s the strength of Brad Arthur and that is always going to be the question until it happens for them.”
