Parramatta poised to rebound in 2017 after one of the toughest seasons ever

SUMMER SCHOOL: Parramatta endured a season from hell this year but are set to come out better for it in 2017.

The Eels are a real chance of making the finals in 2017.

EVERYTHING bad that could happen to a footy team happened to the Eels in 2016.

In fact, one of the only bright spots in an awful year was the commitment and toughness the club showed when they took the field — despite having nothing to play for after the salary cap hammer was dropped, they remained defiant and competitive to the end.

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Can Gutherson cut it in the halves?

Parramatta’s season in 2016 was like a Shakespearean tragedy but one of the real finds was Clint Gutherson. After missing nearly all of 2015 with a knee injury, Gutherson played some great football in his first season with the Eels, especially when he was unexpectedly thrown into the halves late in the year. Coach Brad Arthur was so impressed with the former Manly flyer, Gutherson will start 2017 in the halves alongside Corey Norman.

Norman enjoyed a career-best season in 2016 despite some off-field problems but can Gutherson be consistently productive alongside him?

Running and passing might not be much of a struggle for Gutherson, but the biggest struggle will be honing a kicking game

If the experiment does fail, Parra will be forced to rely on veteran Jeff Robson, who is sticking around for one more go, or to promote Under 20s halfback Troy Dargan.

Dargan may end up being the long-term option regardless — he made the Under 20s team of the year last season.

Can Bevan French do it again?

French was superb in his rookie season last year. The 20-year old scored 19 tries in 12 games and scored at least one try in all but two matches he played. He finished the season with back-to-back hat-tricks and might be the fastest player in the NRL.

In 2017, French will start the season as Eels fullback and with that switch comes a whole set of obstacles he must overcome.

Can he build his slight frame in order to endure the physical workload without losing his speed? Will he be able to combine with his halves, especially given that one of them is inexperienced in that position?

The progression of French promises to be one of the more fascinating subplots surrounding the Eels in 2017.

Who kicks goals?

This never seems like a big deal until you don’t have a kicker.

With the departure of Michael Gordon, Parramatta do not have a recognised goal-kicker and finding a replacement is an understated yet important puzzle for Brad Arthur.

Corey Norman has taken a few shots in the past (he’s kicked 4/11 in his career) so the burden will likely fall on Gutherson.

He knocked over 1/3 in his only match as kicker last year but kicked his fair share of goals in the Under 20s.

Of course, Semi Radradra also knocked one over from the sideline in the driving rain during Parra’s last match of the season against the Warriors and he’ll probably be in the coach’s ear all summer trying to get a go.

Who rounds out the backline?

Brad Takairangi has really thrived in the centres since joining from the Titans and was strong again last year despite switching from the left side to the right and with Bevan French moving to fullback the club needs a new winger.

Former Titan Josh Hoffman seems like the natural candidate to fill the void — given his experience at fullback he could easily give French a spell if required — but the club has also signed Penrith winger George Jennings, who showed flashes of ability in 2015 before injuries delayed his career.

Forgotten man John Folau, who played just one match last season due to injury and second-tier salary cap issues, is another option while the club has also recruited sacked Rabbitoh Kirisome Auva’a.

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Will the middle forwards provide enough power?

The Parramatta pack are tough, hardy and played well above their weight all season. Danny Wicks has quickly become one of the most underrated props in the competition since his return to the NRL while Tim Mannah remains solid as a rock.

Daniel Alvaro is a hardworking grinder in the same mould but the mid-season loss of Junior Paulo robbed the Eels of much of their impact among their props.

This has been remedied by the signing of Rabbitohs wild man Nathan Brown but if the Eels want a real dynamic quality in the middle of the field they’ll need the likes of Brown, Peni Terepo and new man Siosaia Vave to find a power and consistency that they’ve somewhat lacked in their first grade careers thus far — although Vave was one of Manly’s best forwards last year.

Tim Mannah leads a forward charge.

Brad Arthur tried to remedy this last year by moving Tepai Moeroa to the middle but at this stage of his career he seems far more suited to the edge.

Veteran enforcer Beau Scott is likely to start at lock, but even at his peak he wasn’t what you would call a disruptive runner of the football.

Nobody can doubt the mental toughness of the Eels and they are strong defensively, but they must find a more dynamic quality in attack if they’re to match it with the best teams in the competition.

Predicted team for Round 1, 2017:

1. Bevan French 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jennings 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Josh Hoffman 6. Clint Gutherson 7. Corey Norman 8. Danny Wicks 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma’u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Beau Scott 14. Nathan Brown 15. Kaysa Pritchard 16. Ken Edwards 17. Siosaia Vave

Unless something wacky happens during the pre-season (and given that this is Parramatta we’re talking about it cannot be ruled out) the Eels seem surprisingly settled for Round 1.

Prop Alex Twal could come in the frame for a bench spot given his excellent form in the Under 20s and NSW Cup.

Isaac De Gois has been very solid since joining the club from Cronulla on a mid-season deal in 2015 but Kaysa Pritchard has looked good whenever he’s been given an opportunity in first grade — he has an aggression and intensity that belies his size.

However, those same qualities have stopped him from playing as much first grade as he would have liked, with the 22-year old playing just 21 matches since his debut in 2013.

Daniel Alvaro has been a very steady performer since making his debut at the end of 2015 and could easily snag a bench spot ahead of Brown or Vave, but if the rumours are true about the club chasing Frank Pritchard then you would imagine he will claim the final bench spot.

Originally published as Parramatta poised to rebound in 2017 after one of the toughest seasons ever