Jake Arthur’s second half against the Sea Eagles last Friday shows just how fickle rugby league can be because the Parramatta fans who were booing him last month would’ve been cheering as he helped up set a famous win on the road.
Filling in for the injured Mitch Moses, Arthur produced his best 40 minutes in the NRL and set up two tries to keep the club’s top-four hopes alive ahead of a brutal run to the finals.
The fact Arthur was able to do that after a small section of fans at CommBank Stadium had booed him only a few weeks earlier because his dad is the coach speaks volumes about the 19-year-old.
“I haven’t really worried about it,” he said.
“I’ve just waited for my opportunity and I’ve just been trying to play my best footy in Cup.
“It was just good to be able to wear that No.7. That’s where I feel most comfortable trying to control the game and letting Dyl (five-eighth Dylan Brown) play off the back of it.”
The first of those try assists against the Sea Eagles was a Harbor Bridge pass over the top of giant winger Jason Saab that some experienced halves wouldn’t have had the confidence to throw.
“I was a bit worried because I told myself all week that I wasn’t going to throw that pass because he’s that tall,” he said.
“But in the moment I saw the space and I had to back myself to throw it.”
Teammate Shaun Lane spoke glowingly of Arthur’s maturity and how he handled himself after a difficult couple of weeks.
“I always chat to the young kids to see where their headspace is at around certain things, but I think Jake is quite a naturally resilient kid,” said Lane, who is studying a graduate diploma in psychology and faced his own problems off the field earlier in his career.
“I think it helps that his old man has helped along the way to understand what he probably would have faced ever since he was a kid.
“Growing up with his old man as the coach of Parramatta coming through the grades, he probably understood that he’d be facing a lot of scrutiny were this to happen.
“He’s definitely approached this maturely and I probably wouldn’t have been the same when I was that young.
“He’s stayed off social media, he hasn’t read into any of the negatives, and he’s gone about doing his job. I can’t speak highly enough of how he’s handled himself.”
Arthur’s reward for playing so well against Manly was an appearance on Channel Nine’s post-game show where he got to pick the brain of childhood hero Johnathan Thurston.
The former Cowboys halfback gave him some sage advice and adds to the lessons Arthur has learned from Immortal Andrew Johns as well as Moses.
“I’ve always looked up to ‘JT’ and studied how he played,” the teenage half said.
“It was good to be able to get the chance to speak with him and even ask for a bit of advice.
“I just wanted to ask him to see what I could do better. He told me to run the footy a bit more late in halves and to dig deep in the line once I’ve set up the game with my kicking game.
“I’ve always looked at ways to try to get better. Joey really helped me with that. He’s always ringing me and helping me out, and Mitch has also been massive for me since he got injured. All year he’s been helping me, and now he’s really stepped up.”
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