- Brad Arthur set to be sacked by Parramatta
- The Eels have lost six of their last seven games
- The club made a move to get Wayne Bennett
The Parramatta Eels will reportedly part ways with coach Brad Arthur, with the NRL club launching an ambitious Souths-bound Wayne Bennett swoop.
The Eels were beaten 48-16 by the Melbourne Storm in the Magic Round over the weekend, putting more pressure on a coach who had managed just three wins out of a possible 10 this season.
Arthur, 49, took over as interim coach in 2012 and led the Eels to the 2022 grand final, where they were beaten 28-12 by Penrith Panthers.
The Eels failed to reach the finals last year and are currently in the midst of a torrid run, losing six of their last seven games.
To further compound their misery, Athur is without star running back Mitchell Moses, who has been out with a foot injury since the third round.
Parramatta set to part ways with coach Brad Arthur
The Eels have lost six of their last seven NRL games
The 49-year-old said after the defeat to the Storm that he was the right man to turn things around, insisting he would “never walk away from a fight”.
“I still believe in this team, but they have to start believing in themselves, especially when we are under a little pressure,” he said.
“We are five minutes into the game, but there has been no indication from the club towards me. The only thing they want to do is surround us to support me and the rest of the coaches and the team.
“But at the end of the day, what matters is what we’re doing on the pitch for 80 minutes and it’s not good enough right now.”
But the Eels hierarchy apparently thinks differently, and an announcement will be made soon.
The latest development comes as Eels president Sean McElduff revealed he flew to Queensland with chief executive Jim Sarantinos in a bid to lure Bennett away from South Sydney, despite the 74-year-old being deep in talks with the Rabbitohs.
“I called him on May 2 and he said, ‘I’m pretty far along in my career with the Rabbitohs,'” McElduff told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Parramatta tried to lure Wayne Bennett away from South Sydney but was rebuffed
“I know the club, I know the players and I feel like I have unfinished business there.” For the last 18 days, I have been trying to convince him. At the end of the day, he wants to be with the Rabbitohs. You can understand why.
‘I took a trip to Queensland with Jim to see him. We had many other conversations. I tried with all my might but we didn’t make it. To be completely honest, I always went with the Rabbitohs.
“He is successful, he has won first place seven times, he has experience and he has shown that he can get the best out of his team.” All the attributes you would want in an NRL coach. He’s a brilliant guy, he understands the psyche of the player.”