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Brad Arthur to be plunged into immediate chaos as new coach of Parramatta Eels NRL club
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ON Tuesday night Brad Arthur was lazing in the pool at a Kuta Beach hotel when his wife Michelle interrupted the well-earned reverie.
She had urgent news of a phone call from Sydney, which the young family had left behind the previous morning for a 12-day vacation in Bali.
Upon learning Parramatta chairman Steve Sharp was on the other end of the line, Arthur put down his Bintang stubbie and accepted the phone.
He suspected it would be a worthwhile trade.
"I thought it might be some positive news . . . why else would he be calling?" Arthur reasoned.
"It ended up be the news that I wanted, but I didn't expect it.
"Over the past week it's been up, down, up, down."
Which explains why Arthur found himself in the luxurious surrounds of the Bali Dynasty resort when Parramatta finally sealed the most convoluted, mind-boggling and politically driven coaching appointment in NRL history.
BOARDROOM GAMES
A week earlier, the Manly assistant thought he had the job after negotiations progressed to the point of discussing his salary.
Then his application was unexpectedly defeated 2-3 at a board meeting last Tuesday night, despite Sharp publicly declaring his personal support for Arthur.
Fast forward a week and Arthur's rival, Jason Taylor, was in the box seat.
Arthur's management were even told on Tuesday morning that Taylor would be appointed.
With that news in mind, Arthur settled back for his Balinese holiday in the knowledge he would remain Geoff Toovey's assistant at Manly in 2014.
And then came Sharp's offer of a three-year deal, which was extended just moments after the Eels board backflipped and voted 4-2 in favour of Arthur on Tuesday night.
"It's been like a roller-coaster ride with everything that's been going on, including the Cowboys job," said Arthur, runner-up to Paul Green in last month's race to coach North Queensland.
"The thing that kept me positive was I had a great job at Manly. There's no question I wanted to be a head coach, but it had to be the right time."
With Parramatta's highly factionalised board in a constant state of flux, the ideal time — politically — could still be years away.
Arthur accepts the job in full knowledge that one third of the boardroom wanted Taylor.
"That doesn't bother me because I know I'm the best person for the job," he said.
"I'm going there to coach a footy side.
"I've got no concern over things I can't control, like what happens in the board room."
THE PLAYERS
Not long after Ricky Stuart quit the Eels early last month, Arthur discovered he was the players' choice to be coach.
He earned their admiration during a six-week stint as caretaker in late 2012, following Steve Kearney's sacking, by promoting a less structured brand of attack.
"Knowing the players wanted me there was good in terms of reassurance that this is the right job for me and that I've already got a head start," Arthur said.
Headed by veteran forward Ben Smith, there's also a handful of Eels who are yet to find homes after being told to look elsewhere in June.
"I've got to talk to (recruitment manager) Peter Nolan about that, and go through the way I want to coach and the way I want the team to play," Arthur said.
"If I feel that they fit that style I would be crazy to let them go."
HOPPA AND SANDOW
As Taylor firmed to prohibitive odds to win the role, the handlers of star recruit Will Hopoate started to make noises about exercising a get-out clause to renege on the three-year deal with Parramatta.
Hopoate's father, John, was an Arthur fan from time the pair spent together during the preseason at Manly.
Now that Arthur has been appointed, Hopoate is assured of reporting for duty when the players return for pre-season training on 7 November.
Whether Sandow recaptures his best form under Arthur at the Eels is much more of a mystery.
"I've not had any involvement with Chris for 12 months, so I need to sit down with him and get an idea of what he wants to do with his career and where he's going," Arthur said.
"It's very hard to dictate what's going to happen with Chris until he decides what he wants to do."
PARRA PASSION
Unbeknown to many, Arthur was raised in Seven Hills and is a Parramatta junior.
His first coaching roles were in Batemans Bay and Cairns, prior to his career making move to Melbourne where he learned the trade under Craig Bellamy.
For the past three years Arthur has juggled assistant duties at Parramatta and Manly with the head coaching role of the Rouse Hill Rhinos Under 11s.
"My son Jake plays with Rouse Hill and it's something I want to stay involved with next year, as well," Arthur said.
"Growing up and playing for the Eels as a kid, this is more than a job. It's a real honour."
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