Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur has been sacked effective immediately, following the team’s heavy defeat to the Melbourne Storm in the Magic Round.
The club delivered the bombshell news a day after the Eels were overwhelmed by the Storm in a 48-16 loss on Sunday, marking their fourth consecutive defeat. Arthur’s future was already under scrutiny following the dismal performance, and less than a day later, the decision was made to let him go.
“The Parramatta Eels have this afternoon informed Brad Arthur that his tenure as Head Coach has ended, effective immediately,” the club stated. “It was the view of the Board and CEO that the progress of our NRL team has stalled. Our goal is to win premierships and it is time for the Club to go in a new direction.”
“We want to thank Brad who has worked tirelessly for the Club over a 10 year period. During his time as Head Coach, the Club has played in five finals series, including a grand final in 2022. We wish Brad and his family the very best in the future and we are very grateful for his services to the Club.”
“Trent Barrett will take control of the team as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the 2024 season. We will provide a further update as we move forward to appoint a Head Coach for the 2025 season and beyond.”
Arthur became the Eels’ coach in 2012 when he stepped in as the interim coach. He led the Eels to a Grand Final appearance in 2022, but the club has struggled to replicate that form since. They missed the finals last season and are currently languishing in 14th spot on the ladder with three wins and seven losses.
Arthur described his side’s second-half display on Sunday as “embarrassing.” The Eels trailed 16-10 at halftime before conceding six tries in the second 40 minutes. “The second half was embarrassing. We fell in a hole for a period of 10-15 minutes and lacked resilience in that period and just kept digging the hole deeper,” Arthur said in his post-match press conference. “It’s happened too often in the last month or so. When we get under a bit of fatigue, we lack resistance in defence and we drop our head when things go against us. We’re putting ourselves at a level of fatigue from a lot of the stuff we’re doing in the first half. We only had 30 per cent possession in the first 15 minutes so we’re our own worst enemy with that and it catches up with you and we’re not resilient enough to hang in there and just defend one set.”
Barrett will lead the Eels next Saturday night when they take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
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