Ahead of his son Matt’s debut for Parramatta on Saturday, former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur revealed he most likely would not have handed Matt his NRL debut this year if he was still in charge.
Arthur, who was let go by the Eels in May, will be at McDonald’s Stadium to watch his son play his first NRL game against the Knights, but declined the opportunity to be part of Matt’s jersey presentation on Friday, leaving it to his wife Michelle and Matt’s older brother, Jake, who plays with Manly.
The former Eels mentor was hesitant to speak to the media ahead of Matt’s debut in fear of taking the spotlight away from his son.
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Most assume Matt’s path to the NRL has been made easier because of his last name but Arthur claims the opposite.
He told The Sydney Morning Herald both his sons have had to deal with a higher level of scrutiny than most because he’s a coach.
“I do believe my two boys have been at a disadvantage at times because their dad was a coach,” Brad Arthur said.
“They have had to work harder because they’ve been under the microscope more than others. They have to be a 10 out of 10 every time they’ve played. That’s why I’m so proud of both of them.
“If I was still coach, I probably wouldn’t have played Matt this year, purely because of his surname. But I’m proud of him.”
Arthur has played state representative football for NSW Under-19’s, scoring the winning try against the Maroons last week.
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He was also elevated to co-captain by NSW under-19 coach and former Eels star Andrew Ryan due to his professionalism and the way he commanded the attention of the forward pack.
Interim Eels coach Trent Barrett cited Matt Arthur’s consistency at the NSW Cup level in promoting him to the NRL team this week.
“He’s been probably one of our best and most consistent players in NSW Cup. I think it’s important we reward that form as well,” Barrett said.
“Matt deserves his spot. We’ve sort of known that debut would come. It was about picking the right time and making sure Mitchell was back as well.”
“I wouldn’t have probably put Matty in there if we were under-strength,” added Barrett.
“He’ll do a good job. He’s a confident kid and he works really hard, that’s probably his best attribute. He’s a little goer and he won’t die wondering.
“He’s a tenacious little fella and he won’t take a backwards step and that’s what we like about him. He’s very professional in how he goes about his work and he loves footy… he’s got the backing of his father and Michelle and the family behind him.”