Ryles, Demetriou, Maguire: The contenders to replace sacked coach Brad Arthur at Parramatta

Parramatta’s failed bid to land Wayne Bennett has led the club to draw up a hit list of aspiring NRL coaches. These are the names on Parramatta’s radar.

Brad Arthur. Picture: NRL Photos

• Inside Eels’ failed Arthur-Bennett swap mission

Parramatta have begun scouring the NRL and overseas for the best coach to end their 37-year premiership drought after falling short in a stunning clandestine bid to land supercoach Wayne Bennett.

Details of the stealth-like bid to sign Bennett emerged after the 14th-placed Eels informed head coach Brad Arthur on Monday afternoon that his 11-season tenure was over.

The Eels’ bombshell decision has led the club to draw up a hit list of aspiring NRL coaches, including Jason Ryles, Josh Hannay, Sam Burgess, Michael Maguire, Jason Demetriou, Dean Young and Michael Ennis.

Eels assistant Trent Barrett is also expected to put his name forward after being elevated to the interim head coaching position for the remainder of this season.

Brad Arthur. Picture: NRL Photos

THE SHATTERING CALL

Arthur will receive around a $750,000 payout after club chair Sean McElduff and CEO Jim Sarantinos broke the news to the shattered head coach.

“It’s a decision you never like to deliver upon anyone, but to Brad’s credit, he took as best you could imagine,’’ Sarantinos said.

“It was time for us to move in a different direction as a club and now we’ll move forward with the process of finding the next head coach of the Parramatta Eels.

“We won’t rest now. We think there’s a lot of appeal to our roster. We think there’s a lot of appeal for our club, in terms of our scale, our size, our resources that we can provide to support the coach.

“Whether that is the job for an established coach, one that has had a track record of success or a young emerging coach, we’ll go through that entire process.

“We’ll search high and low for the perfect selection right across the rugby league landscape here and overseas.’’

BENNETT OUT OF THE RUNNING

One name that is no longer an option is outgoing Dolphins coach Bennett, who, after several discussions with Parramatta, is headed for South Sydney.

It was at the Monday afternoon meeting with Arthur that the two figureheads revealed to Arthur that they had spent the past three weeks attempting to sign Bennett.

McElduff and Sarantinos had made the decision back on May 1, almost three weeks ago, that they would sever ties with Arthur, which is why they then began secret talks with Bennett.

They originally flew to Queensland a fortnight ago to meet face-to-face with the 74-year-old.

Bennett made it clear from the outset that the Eels would need to produce something special to be able to sway him away from joining the Rabbitohs.

In breaking the news to Arthur, the Eels most influential figures explained that their decision to keep the negotiations with Bennett confidential was an attempt to avoid any further external pressure engulfing the club and Arthur himself.

“That opportunity with Wayne is now exhausted, we did our best, but Wayne was always clear that his affiliation with South Sydney would be difficult for us to alter where he was heading,’’ Sarantinos said.

Souths chief executive Blake Solly was still confident on Monday night that Bennett would join them.

“The deal isn’t done yet but we are very, very close,” Solly said. “I think Wayne has been pretty clear that he is coming here.”

Asked whether he was concerned Bennett may now consider Parramatta, Solly said: “No, we’re confident given the conversations we’ve had with Wayne and hopefully we’ll have something done in the next 24 hours.”

PLAYER FALLOUT

With Arthur’s departure, questions will be asked around the future of the playing roster.

Arthur was pivotal in the Eels’ signing of St George Illawarra star Zac Lomax.

However, sources have confirmed to this masthead that there is no get-out clause in Lomax’s deal, and he is expected to join the Eels next season and honour his four-year, $2.6 million contract.

Rookie Blaize Talagi, who made his NRL debut this season, recently failed to take up a contract extension with the Eels for next season, despite Arthur anointing him the club’s long-term successor to fullback Clint Gutherson.

Off-contract Eels rookie Blaize Talagi. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

There are also questions surrounding rising hooker Matt Arthur - the son of Parramatta’s sacked coach, who has been touted as a future NRL player.

After leading the Eels’ SG Ball side to grand final victory in 2023 alongside Talagi, Matt Arthur has spent this season developing in NSW Cup.

Hooker has been a problem position since Reed Mahoney’s departure to Canterbury at the end of 2022, with Joey Lussick and Brendan Hands competing for the No.9 jersey.

SOMBRE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

The decision to pull the pin on Arthur’s 2024 and 2025 contract came as the club decided it could no longer push forward following a poor 3-7 start to the season, including three defining losses against the Raiders (41-8) in round five, an embarrassing 44-16 loss to the Dolphins in round seven in Darwin and a final death-knell 48-16 defeat to the Storm at Magic Round last weekend.

Arthur celebrates his 50th birthday on Tuesday, but it has suddenly become a sombre affair.

However, his manager, Chris Orr said the long-serving coach held no ill-feelings towards the Eels and wants to coach again in the NRL.

“Whilst it was not expected, my client understands it’s a results-driven business,” Orr said.

Trent Barrett has been name caretaker coach. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

“He feels honoured to have coached the Eels for the past 11 seasons and has enjoyed every minute of it.

“Brad will be back coaching within the NRL and would be an asset to any NRL club.

“I am sure there are some Eels players waiting with interest to see where he lands.”

Arthur leaves the Eels after joining the club first as an interim in 2012 and then full-time in 2014 with a 51.89 per cent winning record and a resume that includes 11 seasons, five finals and a grand final loss to the Panthers in 2022.

Some may view Arthur’s axing as callous given he’s been let go at a time when star halfback Mitchell Moses is sidelined with a foot injury.

However, with his time now over, Arthur will be remembered as a coach who transitioned a host of no-name players into NRL players, including Reed Mahoney, Isaiah Papalii, Dylan Brown and Marata Niukore.