ARTHUR FUMES OVER LATEST EELS RECRUITMENT BUNGLE
IT’S Groundhog Day at the Parramatta Eels and we can completely understand why blue and gold coach Brad Arthur would be blowing up.
With a shortage of outside backs as they fight to try and make the top eight the Eels were in the box seat to sign Canberra Raiders outside back Harley Smith-Shields for the remaining four games of Parramatta’s regular season.
The move had progressed as far as Eels coach Brad Arthur talking to Canberra coach Ricky Stuart with the Raiders only request being Parramatta release young gun half Ethan Sanders to move to the national capital in November.
Everything looked on target to the point where the Parramatta coach Arthur told Smith-Shields he was going to be selected on the wing for the Eels NRL side against St George Illawarra on Sunday.
Smith-Shields had even packed his car for the drive from Canberra to Parramatta on Monday in order to make it to the Eels inside the August 3 top 30 cut-off date for signing players.
Everyone was on the same page about the move until it hit a last-minute snag in the form of the Eels recruitment and retention committee.
Yep, at the 11th hour the move was blocked by Parramatta management.
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Brad Arthur’s pursuit of a raiders star was blocked.
Brad Arthur’s pursuit of a raiders star was blocked.Source: Getty Images
The trouble with these types of last-minute, pen pushing decisions is they’ve become a regular occurrence at the Eels over the past few seasons.
Surely if Brad Arthur wanted Smith-Shields at this stage of the season with Parramatta fighting to make the finals the coach should have the loudest voice.
This clearly isn’t the case at Parramatta with CEO Jim Sarantinos and general manager of football Mark O’Neill intervening.
The Raiders are in the box seat to sign Eels rookie half Sanders for 2025 and simply wanted Parramatta to give him permission to negotiate with them now.
Raiders' centre Harley Smith-Shields was set to join the Eels.
Raiders' centre Harley Smith-Shields was set to join the Eels.Source: Supplied
The Raiders could then have pushed for Sanders to join the Green Machine’s top 30 in November this year.
It’s examples like this when it comes to recruitment and retention that illustrates how the Eels continually fall over in this space.
It’s also an insight into why Parramatta has gone from playing in a grand final to fighting tooth and nail to make the top eight.
The Eels need to stop making the same mistakes. Arthur is short on outside backs with Maika Sivo suspended.
It’s also an insight into why Parramatta has gone from playing in a grand final to fighting tooth and nail to make the top eight. That is well summed up.
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