Clint Gutherson in savage blow for the Eels as Parramatta season hits new low

The Eels season has hit a new low with inspirational captain Clint Gutherson set to miss around five weeks after undergoing knee surgery ahead of round nine. Coach Brad Arthur is under the pump at the Eels with the club sitting 14th with just three wins out of eight.

Despite showing grit and determination after a turbulent week, the Eels were defeated 32-18 away to Manly on the weekend. Arthur is under lots of pressure as head coach with the side also missing finals footy in 2023. However, Arthur will be ruing the injury list with Gutherson now the latest star to be ruled out for a number of weeks.

Gutherson played through pain last week against Manly, but it appears the fullback and captain couldn't wait for surgery any longer and is set to miss more than a month of NRL action. "The Eels co-captain has undergone a minor operation on his knee and will be unavailable for 4-5 weeks," a Parramatta club statement read.

The injury comes at a horror time for the Eels who now enter a brutal stretch of NRL fixtures. In the next five weeks, the Eels face Brisbane, Melbourne and Cronulla. All three currently sit in the top eight and have started 2024 in form.

Gutherson's injury is a worry for Arthur who has seen Dylan Brown struggle since taking over the No.7 jersey. This comes as the Eels miss their playmaker Mitchell Moses who fractured his foot and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. Moses was in contention to play five-eighth for the Blues, but will have little time to impress new coach Michael Maguire.

Parramatta have a week off with a bye, but will return to face the Broncos at CommBank Stadium on May 10. With the Eels reeling from a number of major injuries, NRL fans reacted to the brutal blow for the Eels heading into a horror run of games.

Clint Gutherson backs Brad Arthur amid turmoil

Before the Eels' fifth loss of the season, captain Gutherson came out swinging and backed Arthur as the man to help lead them out of the drama. “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,” Gutherson said after the team criticism. “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.”