Stint with Brothers key in Arthur’s coaching journey
JAKE Arthur was born in North Queensland and so, many would argue, was his father’s coaching career.
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur will return to Townsville on Friday at the helm of the Eels, but he could have been in charge of the Cowboys had things worked out differently.
After starting his coaching career with Batemans Bay aged just 22, Arthur moved to Cairns where he built much of his reputation as a teacher of men during eight years as captain-coach of Cairns Brothers.
Brothers played in six premierships and won four grand finals on his watch.
So successful was Arthur, he was on the Cowboys’ radar for a time at the end of 2013, but missed out to Paul Green.
“He was down to the last three or four,” former Cowboys
chair Laurence Lancini said. “He was really good. He was really impressive. We went with Greeny but Brad could have easily done the job.
“I had quite a few mates who were at Cairns Brothers and they thought the world of Brad.”
Less than two weeks later Arthur got the job at Parramatta, where he remains to this day as the Eels stand on the verge of a grand final.
“Before I left I had a fulltime job at the (Cairns Brothers) club where I was captain coach, but also I would do a bit of work at the ground, a bit of cellar work, a bit of sponsorship work,” Arthur said. “I virtually helped our president run the footy club – mowing the grass and getting it ready for game day, marking the lines. It was a good job.
“It was a good spot, Cairns. It was a good competition.
“I made a lot of good friends, who I still stay in contact with now.”
Some of those friends will be in Townsville on Friday night, providing a pocket of support for the Eels.
“Every time we have been up there to play in North Queensland or against the Cowboys, the support for Parramatta is great because of my links to Cairns and Brothers,” Arthur said.