Arthur: It wasn't a penalty
Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur addresses the media following his side's win over the Broncos.
He talks about Junior Paulo being put on report and the Eels' improved attack.
Here's what he had to say.
Thoughts on win
“It was a step in the right direction. It was better. I thought we tried to play better football. We played a nice power game in there for a while. Second half, it would have been nice to nail a couple of those opportunities but you’ve got to give credit to the Broncos, I thought they were brave. Even on a couple of those long range tries they just busted their guts, working back, chasing so I thought they were extremely brave,” Arthur said.
Sign up for a free NRL Account to access this video and other exclusive content.
Sign UpAlready have an NRL Account?
Not sure? Learn more about an NRL Account .
Where are the Eels at?
“I thought our defence was good. We moved the ball around a little bit which was better. We played off a bit of momentum through the middle so I thought that was okay. There were a couple of opportunities in the second half, probably some poor end to sets in the second half,” Arthur said.
Thoughts on putting Junior on report
“There was nothing in that, was there? It shouldn’t have even been a penalty. From there we defended three or four sets on our line. Yeah no it’s not a penalty, what’s he supposed to do? No way, that’s not the description of the hip tackle,” Arthur said.
Thoughts on Junior coming off the bench
“Yeah he was good. Played every game. I meant to play him less minutes but he was doing a good job. I needed him there for a bit longer than I had planned. He was a team player. He was on board with. He wants to start every week but I was going to try to limit his minutes but we just needed him a bit longer than I thought,” Arthur said.
Are refs trying to find illegalities in anything?
“I’m not sure that came from the ref. I thought that came from the bunker. I think they need to stay out of it. Just get the rulings right on the tries,” Arthur said.
Ferguson’s no try
“He (referee) made a mistake Our players make mistakes don’t they? I think the boys said he apologised so it is what it is,” Arthur said.
Where do the Eels need to be?
“We need to back up that effort and have the mentality we had tonight of playing for each other. I thought that was better. If we can do that again next week and then once we get to the finals it’s a whole new ball game,” Arthur said.
Why players were benched in the game
“We have seven players who have played every game. Gutho has played every minute of every game. We would have liked to bring him off with 10 or 15 to go but it wasn’t to be. I can’t get him to sit out one minute of training but that’s Gutho. That’s what his teammates and the Club means to him ,” Arthur said.
Does Clint Gutherson have another gear?
“He just need to be Clint Gutherson and keep doing what he’s doing for us. I think he’s doing a fantastic job. His leadership has improved and it’s getting better by the game,” Arthur said.
The Eels’ attack
“We scored five tried tonight so that’s better than zero which is what we got last week. They were nice tries and we executed them well. One was off an error but that was defensive pressure,” Arthur said.
