‘We just have to fight’: Arthur stoic after losing Gutherson for five weeks
Already without star halfback Mitchell Moses, struggling Parramatta will now lose Clint Gutherson for at least the next month after their inspirational skipper reluctantly agreed to undergo knee surgery.
Gutherson has barely been able to train since the start of the season due to the troublesome joint, and needed fluid drained from his knee on game day against the Dolphins in Darwin a couple of weeks ago.
Eels coach Brad Arthur, who confirmed Gutherson had a procedure to remove chipped cartilage from his knee, said: “When ‘Gutho’ agrees to get his knee done, you know he’s not right.”
Arthur is fighting to save his job as the Eels languish in 14th on the ladder. The last thing he needed was his two best players sidelined for an extended period. Parramatta have the bye this week, then face Brisbane, Melbourne, South Sydney and table-toppers Cronulla.
Rookie Blaize Talagi, who is seen as Gutherson’s No.1 successor, will be in pole position to play fullback. Talagi is only 19 and had mixed success against the men for the first time this year in the NRL and NSW Cup. Bailey Simonsson could be another option, but is more comfortable on the wing or at centre.
Arthur said he would need a few days to decide who would wear the No.1, who would captain, and who would assume goalkicking duties in the absence of Gutherson and Moses.
Clint Gutherson will be sidelined for up to five weeks after under-going minor knee surgery
“I’ll leave that in the too-hard basket for a few days,” Arthur told this masthead. “We just have to fight. We had good fight Friday against Manly, and if we were a bit smarter, we would have gone close to getting the result.
“It’s not great for Gutho, but we knew it was coming. He’s been ‘bravehearting’ it for us for a while.
“It’s a new injury. He did it about five or six weeks ago. He hasn’t been training. He’s just been playing. He gets himself ready at the end of the week by having a light run with us. That’s about it.”
Parramatta have signed Zac Lomax, who can play fullback, for the next four years from 2025, though St George Illawarra have made it clear they will not grant him an early mark to join the blue and golds this season.
It has been a tough 24 hours for the Eels, with NRL head of elite competitions Graham Annesley confirming Will Penisini was sin-binned last Friday against Manly when tackling Tom Trbojevic who was in an off-side position.
Meanwhile, in early team news, South Sydney are set to retain Dean Hawkins at halfback for Thursday’s clash against Penrith, with Izack Thompson training on the right wing during a wet morning at Heffron Park.
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