Arthur was about to start his real life ’ s work .

An auspicious debut ? “ It was horrible . I did my knee in during the second game but the club were very good , they stuck by me .”

His team didn ’ t win a game in that first season but there was a compensation .

“ I learned to cook on my own ,’’ he said . There was also a bit of playing up on his own . “ I also got on the drink a bit .” The club ’ s faith was repaid when Arthur took them to the finals in the next season . They also won the Canberra Nines and the captain-coach was named group player of the year .

He was off and running , to North Queensland and the Cairns Brothers .

“ We had a strong team and I learned a lot of lessons from my years in the bush ,” he said .

An understatement . Brothers won four premierships and made the finals in each of his eight seasons there , the goal-kicking

lock or backrower was selected in the region ’ s representative team and was twice named the competition ’ s best . He was advancing in other areas too . “ I had a wife and three kids under four to support ,” he said . “ It was hard work .”

Arthur had put in hard yakka at Bateman ’ s Bay and it continued up north .

“ I wasn ’ t a tradesman but learned about and helped at roofing , cement work and mowed the fields .”

The future big-time coach had observed structures and training at the North Queensland Cowboys and when he scored the job as an assistant to Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm , he was ready for the big time .

Time was when ex-internationals , or best players like Ian Walsh , Clive Churchill or Johnny Raper could automatically score coaching jobs .

First or fringe first-graders at the end of their careers could score captaincoaching jobs in the bush and be given jobs on the side .

The still-young John Monie and Peter Louis could captain-coach on the Central Coast after playing first-grade and return to Sydney and success with Parramatta and North Sydney respectively .

But no-one has made the same long journey to the top in the way Arthur has .

After his assistant coaching apprenticeships at the Storm , Parramatta and Manly , Arthur was a surprise choice as Eels coach in 2014 , after the club had won the wooden spoon in the preceding two seasons . The way Arthur talks about his players might explain why .

“ Players have never worked a day in their lives , but they ’ ve got normal problems like everyone else .”

“ My background has helped me understand ; all clubs have courses and plans now .”

Through 10 seasons at the Eels , the finals , the grand final and the also-ran years , 2016 stands out as testimony to his manmanagement and the players ’ belief in him . Parramatta were docked 12 points for salary-cap breaches .

There was nothing to play for and the Eels could have gone through the motions and earned another wooden spoon .

Arthur made the public appearances , shielded the players and such was their belief and the results , the Eels would have made the finals with those 12 points .

There was another wooden spoon in 2018 but as with Batemans Bay , there were more lessons learned , more finals and that 2012 grand final , but if there isn ’ t something similar this season , Arthur is surely close to his use-by date .

Who has he followed since those early Seven Hills days ? “ I ’ ve always followed Parramatta .” Well , the true faith was in his genes at birth .

His grandparents Lindsay and Joyce , and his father Ted , then still a baby , were among the 6000 who watched Parramatta ’ s first game in 1947 , a 34-12 loss to Newtown .

Three generations of the Arthurs , including a young Brad , were there when Parramatta thrashed St George 36-6 at the new Parramatta Stadium in 1986 .

Arthur is still young , not yet 50 , very early to be giving the coaching caper away .

But when the Eels ’ stint is up and should no-one else call , such is the love , he might coach the Seven Hills Kangaroos and also do a bit of lawnmowing on the side .