SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 29: Eels fans taunt Bulldogs fans during the round nine NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Canterbury Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on April 29, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
‘Dylan understands he’s let his teammates, club, and people down,’ says Brad Arthur of his returning star.
Eels coach Brad Arthur has warned the returning Dylan Brown to not overplay his hand when he makes his return from a seven-match ban against the Dragons on Sunday.
The representative five-eighth was stood down by the NRL after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually touching without consent at a pub in Sydney’s east.
Brown apologised last month to everyone involved and said he’d let his teammates down, and Arthur said Brown now owed it to everyone at the club to help them get back into the top eight after they struggled without him in the side.
“I’m sure that Dylan knows that he’s let his teammates, his club and people down,” the coach said.
“We have to move past it, and the best way for Dylan to do that is with how he plays.”
Brown has been training with the team during his ban and has seen them slip to 11th with three losses form their past four games.
The temptation is to try too hard on Sunday afternoon against a Dragons side they are expected to beat, which is why Arthur wants him to simplify his game and just run the ball playing off the back of Clint Gutherson and Mitch Moses.
“He’s been getting flogged and he’s done a lot of gym work,” Arthur said.
“He’s looking really fit and strong, but at the end of the day we don’t want Dylan to overplay his hand and try too hard. We don’t want him to fall into that trap.
“He just needs to be Dylan Brown, and that’ll be enough for us.
“Dylan is a real effort-based player, so you can never try too hard with your effort. When you’re trying too hard it’s around execution or trying to overplay, and I’m sure Mitch and Gutho won’t let him do that, so I’m not concerned about it.”
Sunday’s game is a non-negotiable for an Eels side two points outside the top eight with games still to come against the Broncos, Roosters and Panthers.
Last year’s grand finalists have shown that they can compete with the top teams, but injuries, suspensions and some poor losses have left them needing a minor miracle to sneak into the finals.
“We know that our best footy is good enough,” Arthur said.
“It’s making sure that we deliver on that because it’s proven that our best footy is good enough, and that’s all we need to focus on.
“What our best footy looks like, the group is well aware of that and that’s what we need to do.”
