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0 Eels captain Clint Gutherson has put the onus back on the playing group as pressure mounts on head coach Brad Arthur.
Following a horror 44-16 loss against an under-strength Dolphins outfit in round seven, Parramatta has now dropped to 14th spot on the NRL ladder and things are slipping away for a side many believed would feature in the finals.
The absence of star halfback Mitchell Moses certainly hasn’t helped their cause, but accusations from Arthur last weekend that the Eels were a “part-time team” has shone a light on the deeper issues facing the blue and gold.
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Speaking to media on Tuesday, the skipper acknowledged the noise surrounding Arthur’s future at Parramatta and the comments made after losing in Darwin, but believes it’s up to the players to right the wrongs – not the coaching staff.
“We’re letting them down at the moment, not the other way around,” Gutherson said.
“It hits you. You never want to hear that from your coach, but the truth hurts sometimes. If you’re not willing to hear the bad things and you just want to hear all the good things, you don’t really last too long in the game.
“It’s always on the players. It’s frustrating, because we are a lot better team than what we are producing at the moment. It’s not the end of the world … but you’ve got to play for 80 minutes and at the moment, we’re not doing that.
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“Everyone respects what he [Arthur] says and what he does. We are letting him and the coaching staff down … it’s on us.”
Gutherson is one of the club’s most reliable performers, but not even he has been able to lift the Eels to consistent performances this year, especially with Moses sidelined.
Their forward pack has also come under scrutiny, despite being littered with representative stars such as Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo, for failing to lay a platform for their young halves in Moses’ absence.
“It’s not panic stations, but it’s a bit of a wake-up call,” Campbell-Gillard said.
“Brad has copped it for 12 or 13 years, but it’s not his fault – the onus is on us.
“Being one of the senior players here, I’m more than happy to cop the brunt of it and I’m sure the other senior boys are willing to put their hand up as well.
“With the performances we have been dishing out, we have to take ownership.”
Parramatta will look to bounce back against Manly on Friday night, with rookie playmaker Ethan Sanders named to make his debut in the No.6 jumper, while the likes of Maika Sivo and Brendan Hands have also been recalled.
