A highly influential player manager was instrumental in the Parramatta club’s decision to sack coach Brad Arthur on Monday.
The manager, who handles the business of several Eels players as well as a couple of rival NRL coaches, told senior figures at the Eels that Arthur had lost the dressing room.
That proved the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Eels board, coming on top of a poor season in 2023 and a disastrous start to this year’s campaign.
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“We have heard that this bloke (the player manager) put shit on Brad,” a source close to Arthur said.
“That obviously threw flames on the fire. The guy has a lot of pull because of the players he looks after and the Eels didn’t want to get him offside.”
Wide World of Sports has spoken to several other player managers and they insist Arthur had NOT lost the faith of the majority of players in the senior group.
Some players had gone off the long-serving coach – a common occurrence in a losing team – but most still felt a strong bond with Arthur and were genuinely sorry to see him go.
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As WWOS reported months ago, the Eels have had their eye on Wayne Bennett as a prospective replacement for Arthur since the year began.
But they have now left their run too late, with Bennett’s return to Souths to be formalised on Tuesday morning.
The Eels were contacted for comment but declined.