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Parramatta story
BESIEGED Parramatta are preparing for the delicate task of tapping four of the club's most experienced stars, including club icon Nathan Hindmarsh, on the shoulder.
The Sunday Telegraph has discovered that coach Stephen Kearney will tell Hindmarsh, Luke Burt, Shane Shackleton and Justin Poore their services will not be required next year.
Backrower Ben Smith, who has a chronic knee injury, is also expected to be part of the $1.5 million cleanout as Kearney looks to develop youth and change the losing culture at the club.
As the entire club bunkered down following Friday night's humiliating 39-6 loss to Penrith, it was revealed:
* THERE is growing frustration among senior players. It was underlined by Shackleton, who yesterday was forced to apologise to Kearney after he criticised the coach on Facebook, posting: "Kearney is F******" when asked why he wasn't part of the NRL side;
* NORTH Queensland young gun Jason Taumalolo rejected an approach to join his younger brother at Parramatta only a fortnight ago;
* AFTER posting only two wins from their past 18 games, Kearney has the worst winning percentage of any Eels coach in 50 years;
* AND star fullback Jarryd Hayne is rated an outside chance of returning from a knee injury this Saturday night against Manly.
It was left to Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo to defend the club's ageing roster, claiming it was up to Kearney as he backed the coach to fix the mess.
"I haven't got a comment on that. We haven't sat down with them yet and we've got total faith in what the coach is doing," Spagnolo said.
"At the end of the day, it's his decision whether he re-signs those guys or not. I've been at the club for a long time and I've seen a lot of those guys grow up from kids.
"But I've stayed right away from it as much as possible to try to give (Kearney) every chance to succeed.
"In 2009, things clicked for us after eight or nine games and you don't go from being a good player to being a bad player overnight. You don't just let blokes go without trying to replace them with someone better, either."
In the wake of the Eels' 0-4 start to the season - their worst in 21 years - the club is facing accusations they have a losing culture.
By calling time on Hindmarsh, Burt, Poore, Shackleton and Smith, the Eels will free up around $1.8 million to re-invest in new talent.
Despite the woeful start, Spagnolo added to chief executive Bob Bentley's support for the coach's five-year plan to turn the club around.
"What's the culture problem? That's a myth. They used to say that when Brett Finch and Mark Riddell were here, but I don't think we've got that at all," Spagnolo said.
Pressed about the perception there was a losing culture among the Eels' senior players, Spagnolo said: "Look, that group of players haven't won a comp. But they've made two grand finals and under Brian Smith they made a hell of a lot of finals series.
"The last 18 months haven't been good, but we've been competitive."
Spagnolo said the Parramatta fans who threw coins at the Eels were not real supporters and backed the club to turn the corner soon.
"There's two types of fans. There's the ones who stick with you through thick and thin and the ones who throw coins.
"Without fans we haven't got a club, so you've got to keep them happy. We're working hard to turn in around."
BESIEGED Parramatta are preparing for the delicate task of tapping four of the club's most experienced stars, including club icon Nathan Hindmarsh, on the shoulder.
The Sunday Telegraph has discovered that coach Stephen Kearney will tell Hindmarsh, Luke Burt, Shane Shackleton and Justin Poore their services will not be required next year.
Backrower Ben Smith, who has a chronic knee injury, is also expected to be part of the $1.5 million cleanout as Kearney looks to develop youth and change the losing culture at the club.
As the entire club bunkered down following Friday night's humiliating 39-6 loss to Penrith, it was revealed:
* THERE is growing frustration among senior players. It was underlined by Shackleton, who yesterday was forced to apologise to Kearney after he criticised the coach on Facebook, posting: "Kearney is F******" when asked why he wasn't part of the NRL side;
* NORTH Queensland young gun Jason Taumalolo rejected an approach to join his younger brother at Parramatta only a fortnight ago;
* AFTER posting only two wins from their past 18 games, Kearney has the worst winning percentage of any Eels coach in 50 years;
* AND star fullback Jarryd Hayne is rated an outside chance of returning from a knee injury this Saturday night against Manly.
It was left to Eels chairman Roy Spagnolo to defend the club's ageing roster, claiming it was up to Kearney as he backed the coach to fix the mess.
"I haven't got a comment on that. We haven't sat down with them yet and we've got total faith in what the coach is doing," Spagnolo said.
"At the end of the day, it's his decision whether he re-signs those guys or not. I've been at the club for a long time and I've seen a lot of those guys grow up from kids.
"But I've stayed right away from it as much as possible to try to give (Kearney) every chance to succeed.
"In 2009, things clicked for us after eight or nine games and you don't go from being a good player to being a bad player overnight. You don't just let blokes go without trying to replace them with someone better, either."
In the wake of the Eels' 0-4 start to the season - their worst in 21 years - the club is facing accusations they have a losing culture.
By calling time on Hindmarsh, Burt, Poore, Shackleton and Smith, the Eels will free up around $1.8 million to re-invest in new talent.
Despite the woeful start, Spagnolo added to chief executive Bob Bentley's support for the coach's five-year plan to turn the club around.
"What's the culture problem? That's a myth. They used to say that when Brett Finch and Mark Riddell were here, but I don't think we've got that at all," Spagnolo said.
Pressed about the perception there was a losing culture among the Eels' senior players, Spagnolo said: "Look, that group of players haven't won a comp. But they've made two grand finals and under Brian Smith they made a hell of a lot of finals series.
"The last 18 months haven't been good, but we've been competitive."
Spagnolo said the Parramatta fans who threw coins at the Eels were not real supporters and backed the club to turn the corner soon.
"There's two types of fans. There's the ones who stick with you through thick and thin and the ones who throw coins.
"Without fans we haven't got a club, so you've got to keep them happy. We're working hard to turn in around."
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