Parramatta have promised to undertake a top-to-toe review after their NRL season hit rock bottom in Saturday’s “embarrassing” thumping at the hands of Newcastle.
Eels CEO Bernie Gurr on Sunday reiterated his support for coach Brad Arthur following a surge of anger amongst the blue and gold faithful following their fifth loss in a row and their 11th of the season.
In a wide-ranging interview, Gurr said that they would conduct a forensic examination of the club, vowed to give Arthur and his foootball department all the support they needed and told disaffected fans he understood their frustrations.
Things got worse for the Eels on Sunday when halfback Mitchell Moses was ruled out for two-to- three weeks with bone bruising to his left knee and Will Smith was rubbed out for one to two weeks with a hamstring strain.
As well, Tepai Moeroa is facing three to five weeks on the sidelines after being cited for a grade three shoulder charge on Knights forward Chris Heighington.
“We’re trying to look at it professionally and clinically and doing a forensic examination of all those different pieces because the last thing you want to do is look at it emotionally,” Gurr told AAP.
“It’s going to take a bit of time to do that. One of the things we’re really looking at is our recruitment and retention – we have to make sure we get that right.
“We need to make sure the support around the football club is as strong as it wants to be, we’re supporting Brad and the coaching staff.”
The Eels recently appointed former New Zealand coach David Kidwell as an assistant and brought in former NRL referee Sean Hampstead as an adviser to address their poor discipline.
Asked about the sections of the Eels fanbase calling for Arthur’s head, Gurr said: “We’re supportive of Brad. Brad’s proven he’s a good coach, he went 16-8 last year and those same fans were lauding his coaching abilities.
“He hasn’t become a worse coach in nine months.”
Which begs the question: What has gone wrong with a side that pushed Melbourne in the first week of the finals last year?
“It’s a great question,” Gurr said.
“Part of it is we seem to have lost confidence. The confidence is driven by a lack of cohesion, particularly in attack.
“We’ve been hit with a lot of injuries, there’s no doubt about it. That’s not an excuse, that’s just a legitimate reason.”
Meanwhile, the Sydney Roosters held off a fast-finishing Wests Tigers 16-14 with Blake Ferguson turning in a rocks-and-diamonds display which included setting up Daniel Tupou’s decisive try and a game-saving tackle on Mahe Fonua.
The Rabbitohs shook off the absence of their Origin stars to prove they’re the real deal with a 22-14 defeat of Cronulla on Friday.
Jason Taumalolo spearheaded North Queensland’s 26-12 win over Manly on Thursday night.