‘The truth hurts’: Eels defend Brad Arthur and vow to bounce back following horror loss in Darwin

Parramatta’s senior players say the pressure should be on the team and not coach Brad Arthur after he called them a “part-time team” following their second-half capitulation against the Dolphins that has raised question marks about his future.

The Eels were embarrassed in Darwin last week, conceding eight tries in 25 minutes as the weakened Dolphins tore them to shreds.

“If you watched the second half, it looked like we didn’t know each other and we hadn’t trained together,” veteran prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard said on Tuesday.

“It’s not panic stations, but it’s a bit of a wake-up call for the whole team.

“It was a little embarrassing to see the 40 minutes in that second half. We’ve addressed it and we’re looking forward to this week.

“Things weren’t going well for us. We’ve sat down, watched it and nullified where we’ve got to fix it.”

The fallout from Friday’s loss has involved some very honest chats amongst the playing group who have vowed to take the pressure off their coach by not letting him down ever again.

“Brad has copped it for 12 or 13 years. It’s not his fault. The onus is on us,” Campbell-Gillard said.

“Being one of the senior players here, I’m more than happy to cop the brunt of it. I’m sure our other senior boys are willing to put their hand up as well.

“It’s not nice to see what’s happened to Brad given what he’s done for this club. He’ll always put his hand up and face the media and take the brunt of it, but for the performances we’ve been dishing out, we have to (take responsibility).

“There’s a lot of honesty at this club and no beating around the bush. It’s very straight down the line.

“If you can’t take any criticism and judgment, then I think you’re in the wrong sport. It’s about holding everyone accountable and making sure everyone is accountable for their actions and how they played.”

Skipper Clint Gutherson sat next to Arthur after the game last week and said on Tuesday that the Eels let their fans down with a performance that came just a fortnight after they conceded 41 against Canberra.

“Everyone respects what he says and what he does. We’re letting him, the coaching staff, the club and the fans down at the moment. It’s on us,” he said, confident they’ll produce a proper 80-minute performance against Manly this week.

“You never want to hear that from your coach, but the truth hurts sometimes and you’ve got to hear it.

“If you’re not willing to hear what the bad things are and you just want to hear the good things, then you don’t really last too long in the game.

“He’s really challenged us this week to get back to doing all the little things right.

“You can’t get all the highs all the time. It’s like any other job – if you’re not doing something right, then someone has to pick you up on it.

“It shouldn’t take this long for Brad to have to say it after a game for it to get a reaction, but that’s what it is.”