The Brad Arthur who strikes fear into battle-hardened NRL players is the same coach who delivered harsh truths to a 12-year-old Will Penisini back when he was playing for Rouse Hill Rhinos. Seven years ago Arthur was made Parramatta's new NRL mentor and fresh into the job he had enough energy to keep coaching his son Jake's junior team on the weekends. Penisini, now 19, was part of that Rhinos team that also included Sean Russell. All three club juniors came full circle when they made their NRL debut for the Eels this season under their old coach. "It's funny that he coached us when we were younger, it makes him kind of like a father figure," Eels centre Penisini told As the NRL seasons wore on and the stakes got higher, Arthur scaled back his commitment to coaching juniors because he took it so seriously. He's very passionate for the game, he's very honest. He's not afraid to say what he thinks. He has not changed one bit," Penisini said. Years later Penisini is four games into his NRL career and preparing for the biggest game of his life against Penrith in Saturday's sudden-death semi-final. It comes just a week after he was awarded a controversial penalty try in the Eels' 28-20 win over Newcastle that kept their season alive for another week. As strong as he is physically, Penisini is doing everything he can to be mentally ready to face the Panthers on Saturday.
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