Bulldogs captain Phil Gould says he was taken aback to hear about Brad Arthur’s dismissal from the Eels and wondered if the decision was done more out of emotion than reason. The longtime Eels coach was fired on Monday with immediate effect following Parramatta’s embarrassing loss to the Melbourne Storm in the second half of the Magic Round. The coach’s fate was confirmed on Sunday as the Eels lost to Melbourne 48–16. The 49-year-old had led Parramatta since 2014 and led the team to the 2022 grand final, where they were defeated by the Panthers. However, Arthur was unable to secure the club’s elusive premiership, and after just three victories in ten games in 2024, the board finally lost patience.
The Eels issued a statement on Monday afternoon citing Arthur’s departure as a result of the club’s lack of progress during the previous 18 months. “It was the view of the Board and CEO that the progress of our NRL team has stalled,” the press release stated.
However, Gould stated that everyone had attributed the Eels’ recent problems to the absence of Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson, and because the No. 7 is very close to returning, he feels the team ought to have given Arthur an opportunity to make things right. “I thought it was odd that he was fired because Mitchell Moses is almost back,” Gould stated on Nine’s 100% Footy. “We have been saying for a few months now that ‘when they get their halfback (back), things will turn around.'”
“It’s the funny thing with this competition, there are some teams when their main man is down, they can’t score a try, let alone win a game. That’s been the case since Mitchell Moses has been out. I thought they might have given him (Arthur) time (to coach) once Moses comes back to see if there was any improvement. “On the weekend, I can imagine that left a sour taste in officials mouths and that’s why they’d made a decision when they did,” Gould said. I don’t know how this decision is going to fix it in the short term, it’s not going to fix it in the short term, that’s for sure. Parramatta’s got some thinking ahead of their next decision for head coach and direction of the club , I guess.”
