Brad Arthur says Parramatta can overcome latest salary cap scandal

PARRAMATTA coach Brad Arthur is adamant the club can overcome their latest salary cap scandal and perform against the Cowboys.

Brad Arthur coach of the Parramatta Eels rugby league team talks to the media at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta ahead of a closed training session. Pic Brett Costello

YOU wouldn’t have blamed Brad Arthur for running for the hills.

There was no sign of his chairman Steve Sharp outside Pirtek Stadium as the players arrived for training with the media waiting.

No sign of chief executive John Boulous.

Instead, the Parramatta coach was the first official this week to stand up in public and face the cameras about this latest salary cap scandal that is again threatening to result in the deduction of competition points this season.

Before the crucial showdown with Johnathan Thurston’s premiers North Queensland, where star recruit Kieran Foran will play his first official NRL game for the club, The Saturday Telegraph can reveal that a team of investigators including forensic accountants are due to arrive at Parramatta as soon as Monday.

Following a meeting with Sharp and Boulous at NRL headquarters on Thursday night, it is understood the club has agreed to open their books to the NRL.

The NRL plans to send in its own auditors along with the integrity unit, and a team of accountants from one of Sydney’s top firms, chasing the truth over this week’s stunning allegations that the club deliberately attempted to cheat the salary cap through hiding dodgy third-party deals.

Arthur’s pleas to Eels fans to keep the faith in their team could not have come at a more appropriate time.

If the claims exposed are proven, Parramatta not only face the threat of having competition points deducted in coming weeks that would destroy a promising season, but could also potentially have money taken off their cap next year to the amount of any fine issued.

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The significance of that is it could ultimately lead to more players being shed next season.

But while Sharp and Boulous were nowhere to be seen at training yesterday morning, it was left to Arthur to cop the heat.

Given it is not the coach’s job to look after the salary cap, you could have probably expected one of them on hand to help Arthur answer the questions that were always going to be thrown at the coach.

Instead, Arthur was forced to dead-bat every question that came at him relating to the salary cap dramas. “In regards to the salary cap, I don’t know anything about it and I am not concerned about it,” Arthur said with his first answer.

“I am concerned about preparing this footy team for a really important game this week.

The Eels have become embroiled in yet another salary cap scandal.

“And the only thing our fans and members are concerned about is the performance that we put in (against the Cowboys tonight).”

But while there wasn’t a lot Arthur could say, by simply putting his head up to have it bashed in, again showed exactly why players like Foran have so much faith in their coach.

Asked how the players could possibly ignore the allegations that threaten to affect them, Arthur said: “The boys are pretty resilient, they don’t read the papers. They are only worried about what they can do on the field.”

Arthur felt certain about one thing: that his players were ready to give their supporters something to cheer tonight against the Cowboys.

“I think they are looking forward to seeing our team up against the premiers. We are.”

Asked if he had confidence in Sharp, Arthur reiterated: “Like I said, I am not talking about the salary cap any more.”

Originally published as Brad Arthur says Parramatta can overcome latest salary cap scandal