Matty Johns: Brad Arthur, Kevin Walters facing biggest challenges of career for different reasons
For Brad Arthur, Friday is the start of a career-defining season. For Kevin Walters, it’s about reconnecting the team to the fans and reality. There is no more fascinating match-up this weekend.
Opinion
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Both Kevin Walters and Brad Arthur are facing the biggest challenge of their time in rugby league.
In Kev’s case, that’s saying something given his illustrious career, which includes captaining the Broncos’ title-winning team of 2000, a feat achieved without his legendary halves partner Allan Langer.
But for Kevvie this challenge is huge, actually that’s an understatement. He takes control of a team who have just endured a traumatic last season, where saying, “they collected the club’s first-ever wooden spoon”, doesn’t do justice to how bad 2020 was for players, coaches, club and fans.
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It was the nature of some of the losses, huge floggings, where some players were accused of not trying or caring.
By mid-season it seemed the club were at rock bottom, but it wasn’t even close. It just kept getting worse by the week.
Coach Anthony Seibold was sacked mid-season, an easy scapegoat, but I suppose someone had to be.
At full-time in the season’s final match, where the Broncos recorded their 11th straight loss, a moment occurred which strengthened beliefs that the players didn’t care, or at the very least didn’t care enough.
While diehard Broncos fans threw wooden spoons and jerseys on to the field in protest, the players celebrated wildly as Darius Boyd performed a gender reveal.
Kevin Walters has to reconnect the team with the fans and reality.
Very tough.
He inherits a roster which is weaker than last year’s given the fact David Fifita is gone and 2020s one shining light, Kotoni Staggs, won’t be available until the middle of the season.
On top of that, no Payne Haas until round four, and crucially still no experienced playmaker who can guide the team around the park and to victory.
Only the players know where they sit as far as confidence and belief, but at best, it would be fragile.
A strong first showing is crucial because a first-up flogging will be devastating for a team who need to improve significantly to get out of the bottom few.
For Eels coach Brad Arthur, his challenge sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The Parramatta club and fans are sick of being a, ‘next level down’ team - a strong football side who gets to the finals but can’t beat the serious title heavyweights.
The Eels have a strong roster, a very good blend of youth, experience, talent and toughness.
The spine is very good, in fact Dylan Brown is on the cusp of being one of the competitions elite players, only injury can stop that happening in the next 12 months.
Mitchell Moses is a quality No.7, he heads into this year at what appears to be a career crossroads. Can Mitchell take his team to the next step?
But it’s Arthur who’s having the more restless sleeps.
Arthur has made some adjustments to the team’s attacking formations, switching Mitchell Moses to the left side and Brown to the right, with Arthur stating it’s the players preferred sides.
My question is, if that’s the case, why weren’t they playing on those sides to begin with?
Secondly, I find the left side/right side halves formation limiting.
More and more teams are reverting to the traditional dominant seven, reacting six style of attack.
It lends itself to greater flow and a faster tempo.
Brown, in particular, would benefit greatly by being given the role of float, watch and react, with Moses providing direction.
Parramatta play great when they play direct, momentum-based rugby league, but for whatever reason, toward the back end of every season, drift into structure which sends their attack in a sideways direction.
For Kevin Walters, a mid-table finish would mean he’s excelled, for Brad what’s acceptable is more complex.
A top-four finish means a team has had an exceptional season. Sure, clubs like the Storm and Roosters have a culture where second place means failure, but in reality even those giants know how big an assignment it is to get to the final four year-in-year-out.
But a top-four spot probably won’t satisfy the club and most fans.
Brad has done a terrific job at Parra and to an extent the off season speculation that’s he’s under pressure is fairly brutal, but that’s the nature of professional sport.
But the time has come for him to take the team to the next step, a title, or at least to the final day, or the club will start looking for someone who they believe can.
On Fridat night, I only see a Parramatta win. If they apply a fast attacking game through the Broncos’ middle defence, Brisbane’s major defensive weakness, they’ll score plenty of points.
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Originally published as Matty Johns: Brad Arthur, Kevin Walters facing biggest challenges of career for different reasons
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