If Brad Arthur breathes blue and gold, then Tim Mannah bleeds it.

Mannah is the easily the team’s longest-serving player, the only one left from the last Parramatta side to make the finals during their fairytale run to the NRL grand final in 2009.

It is currently the longest finals drought of any team in the NRL.

From ongoing boardroom bickering, to back-to-back wooden spoons, four different coaches, countless chief executives, the Jarryd Hayne drama and a salary cap scandal, Mannah has been through it all.

“Last year was obviously the pinnacle but before that every year something came up that we had to deal with,” Mannah told AAP ahead of Sunday’s clash against Wests Tigers.

But there was a time when Mannah had all but quit on the Eels.

It was midway through 2013 when former coach Ricky Stuart used a get-out clause to return to Canberra, just months after he infamously told 12 players they weren’t part of the Eels’ future.

Mannah wasn’t one of them but he almost followed on his own volition.

“Around that same time Ricky left, it was definitely a time where the temptation to leave was really high,” he said.

“It was a big possibility. There were a few options on the table.”

It wasn’t until the club opted for Brad Arthur that Mannah stayed put — seemingly for good.

“It was over a few weeks, we kept chatting and there was no coach,” Mannah said.

“There was a few different options on the table, I remember they were tossing up Jason Taylor and Neil Henry.

“Deep down, Haynsey and I were really hopeful of Brad. We were glad he took the job.

“Within a few weeks of him being here, I re-signed. You could see the direction he was taking the club.”

The Eels have since been in contention for a finals spot every year — except for last year when they were stripped of competition points for salary cap breaches.

Mannah insists he is more confident than ever of the seventh-placed Eels finally breaking the drought.

“Not just myself but obviously the fans have been waiting a long time to be at the right end of the table. We’ve got a responsibility to them to make sure we keep performing,” he said.

STATS THAT MATTER

* Brad Arthur has won four of five matches coaching against Ivan Cleary.

* The Tigers are on track for their worst-ever season, seven wins in 2002-03 and 2013.

* The Eels have held their opponents to 12 points or less in their past three matches and are looking to make it four for the first time since they made the grand final in 2009.