NRL: Eels look for winning touch

Stephen Kearney. Photo / Getty Images

He is a World Cup-winning coach but Stephen Kearney is fast realising that preparing an NRL team for a 26-week regular season is arguably the most unforgiving forum.

Kearney began coaching Parramatta this season and immediately had success with a win over the Warriors. That success has dimmed since May.

The Eels have won once, drawn once and lost six out of nine games by four points or less. The last 10 minutes of those games have been minefields. To rub it in, there have been consecutive golden point defeats and then Melbourne - the club where Kearney was assistant coach for the previous five years - came back from 18-0 down last week.

"It's not good enough," Kearney says. "The last couple of months have been frustrating as a group. I'm encouraged by the players' efforts but we've just got into a habit of losing close games. Compare that to Melbourne who are in the habit of finding a way to win."

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary can sympathise with this new coach syndrome. The Warriors finished 10th under him during his first season in 2006, which included the deduction of four competition points for salary cap breaches.

"Stephen's had some tough results, but the side's been competitive throughout. I think back to round one and I was impressed with how they went [beating the Warriors 24-18]. He's not the sort of guy who'd need that much advice, those things eventually turn.

"If you put a line through Parramatta's individual matches, there haven't been too many blow-outs. They just haven't been getting the cash in the tight ones."

Kearney has faced the perennial problem of righting a club that slipped to 12th after previous coach Daniel Anderson took them on a miraculous run to the final in 2009. Until recently the Eels have been a creative team. Kearney has tried to employ more structure.

"You've got to be careful adjusting what others have put in place in the club's best interests. I just want a mindset of finding ways to win. Look at the sides at the top of the competition like the Storm. Good players make a difference. They have guys who have played Origin and been grand final winners [albeit annulled since the salary cap breach]. They know how to win whereas I've got a younger side. The next month if anything will dictate how we approach next season. I want to see us sustain a winning attitude until then."

Kearney is also after more structure in their game plan but is looking to do it via the mercurial Jarryd Hayne at five-eighth. Hayne has played the last four games in the six jersey to better utilise his talents. Kearney says the move might be longer term.

"That's where he's best suited for us probably for the remainder of the year and possibly into next. But he's no more important than say the abilities of [props] Fuifui Moimoi or Tim Mannah to set up field position."

Warriors second rower Feleti Mateo played in five first grade seasons for the Eels. He says Hayne at five-eighth is the key.

"He's shown how good he can be. At number six, he gets the ball in his hands more. Fui's [Moimoi] been doing a great job in a losing team, too. On Monday he had around 25 hit-ups against the Storm. I still watch the boys and stay in contact with a few. They're more frustrated than anything. It must be frustrating for the coach, too, but there are good signs they are in games and not getting beaten convincingly."

Kearney has combined his Eels job with his duties as Kiwis coach. He says preparing for one Anzac test in May has not been a distraction.

"Before the end of the NRL there is only one test to prepare for, it's for a week and it was my fourth Anzac campaign this year. I've got a template I work to with the NZRL so it generally looks after itself. The Four Nations takes more preparation but there is a fulltime NZRL staff to help. I'm also watching potential Kiwis in action every week to get my head around the selection issues. I love both roles."