Arthur, who are set to ply their trade at the Raiders and Knights respectively next season.
On the field, Parramatta lost six straight between Rounds 13 and 21, during which time they had no Moses, J’Maine Hopgood, Junior Paulo and Maika Sivo, highlighting how badly injuries plagued the Eels’ season.
A season of disappointment culminated in the club contesting the highly-anticipated ‘Spoon Bowl’, in which they defeated the Tigers 60-26 to avoid earning the unwanted prize for the first time since 2018.
Mitchell Moses was healthy, Dylan Brown was finding his form, while Parramatta’s pack showed they packed punch that went missing in 2023.
Unfortunately for the Eels, those three weeks were as good as it got in Parramatta, with Mitchell Moses suffering a fractured foot in Round 3 that sparked a scary free fall.
Parramatta would lose eight of their next 10, slipping out of the finals race.
By the end of May, Brad Arthur was unceremoniously sacked one day before his 50th birthday with the club sitting 14th, and the Eels’ wild goose chase of a head coach search began.
Wayne Bennett was approached to no avail, while Michael Cheika, Michael Maguire, Jason Ryles, Josh Hannay and Brian McDermott were all placed on the club’s shortlist.
Ryles eventually got the gig, told Barrett his services wouldn’t be needed next year and went about tidying up a roster that has underperformed for two seasons.
Highly coveted youngster Blaize Talagi traded Parramatta for Penrith, joining an exodus of Eels young guns that included Ethan Sanders and Matt Arthur, who are set to ply their trade at the Raiders and Knights respectively next season.
