NRL: Eels coach Brad Arthur blindsided by surprise sacking
Brad Arthur, the departing coach of the Parramatta Eels, did not see his dismissal coming when he was fired on Monday night.
Arthur, who had been in charge of the Eels for a decade, was let go after a string of poor performances in the 2024 NRL season.
However, up until as recently as Monday morning, Arthur was optimistic about his chances of turning the ship around.
Little did he realise that the decision to terminate his contract had been made weeks ago.
Eels management decided to fire Arthur in early May
On Monday evening, a statement from the Eels revealed that Arthur had been let go.
“The Parramatta Eels have this afternoon informed Brad Arthur that his tenure as Head Coach has ended, effective immediately,” the statement said.
“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.”
Parramatta had been floundering in recent months, sitting 14th on the table with just three wins from 10 matches.
Over the weekend, the Eels were the only team that failed to register a competitive scoreline at Suncorp Stadium, going down 48-16 to the Melbourne Storm.
It has been revealed that the decision to let Arthur go was made well in advance of Magic Round, however.
As Phil Rothfield of the Daily Telegraph said: “The interesting part of this story was they’ve told me they made the decision that they were going to finish up with Brad on May 1.”
Text message reveals Arthur was unaware of impending termination
Despite the decision having been made weeks ago, Arthur was oblivious.
A friend close to him said that as recently as Monday morning, the Eels coach had declared via text message, “I’m all good mate. I’ve been here before. We will dig our way out like we have done in the past.”
Less than eight hours later, Arthur was called into a meeting with the club’s management and terminated, effective immediately.
The Eels will now be led by Trent Barrett as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Barrett will have an uphill job ahead of him, with NRL bookmakers paying long odds of $151 for Parramatta to lift the silverware this year.
