Under pressure Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur has applauded the effort of his team in defeating the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday evening.
The Eels, who missed the finals last year, have lost their last two games on the trot and pressure was building on Arthur who had to fend off talk of Wayne Bennett taking his job, or becoming the club's coaching director during the week.
Captain Clint Gutherson said winning is everything in silencing the outside talk.
"Winning helps everything," Gutherson said after being quizzed on Arthur's future.
"If you lose two in a row, no matter how many games you won before that, there is going to be talk. All you need to do to shut that off is win and that's what we have done tonight. It's rugby league though, you're back at it next week. We have to make sure we are ready to go against the Dolphins next week."
Brad Arthur was a little more straight to the point, suggesting he doesn't care about himself.
"I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about the team and the club, and that we go out there and be at our best every week," Arthur said on his future.
Parramatta, currently playing without star halfback Mitchell Moses, improved their record to three and three with the win over North Queensland, and while they still sit outside the top eight, Arthur said his side were corageous, while also laughing off claims his players 'don't care'.
"I thought we were pretty corageous. As a club even, our cup boys have been struggling, but as a club I thought we were corageous. It just shows the boys do care, and it's hard to be at our best every week, but the effort was there and there was a real desire and a real want. We just have to find that every week," Arthur said.
"I think maybe there was a bit of nerves at the start. Maybe a bit down on confidence, but they toughed it out, and kept fighting. It shows they do care, and they want it. You can't turn it around, beat a team like that and hang on. Defence has been a bit of an issue for us over the last couple of weeks, but we hung on well."
The game against North Queensland saw Arthur ring a handful of changes, with youngster Blaize Talagi dropped from the five-eighth role for Daejarn Asi, and Maika Sivo dropped on the wing, forming a new combination of centre Morgan Harper and Bailey Simonsson.
The coach said he was confident with all of the changes, and suggested they will continue in the coming weeks.
"Obviously one change is [Daejarn Asi]. He did a really good job, and I was happy for him that he got to ice the moment at the end of the game. It was pleasing for him and there are some things we will continue to work on, but overall, he got an opportunity to ice a big moment so I'm happy for him," Arthur said on his changes.
"I thought they [Morgan Harper and Bailey Simonsson] did a good job. We had some teething issues on one or two, but when you're playing a team that are at you all the time, it's hard work. They have a split second to make a decision and overall, with the amount of footy they threw at us, they did a good job.
"I need to go back and watch it, but they did a job for me tonight, why can't they [moving forward]?"
Parramatta take on the Dolphins next weekend.