Parramatta interim head coach Trent Barrett has heaped praise on one of his star players for his professionalism in spite of questions over his future at the club.
Eels captain Clint Gutherson has been subject of rumours on his place at Parramatta in recent weeks due to the signings of Blaize Talagi and Zac Lomax, which may push Gutherson out of his preferred fullback position or back up spot at centre; Phil Gould last week suggested there was chatter amongst rival NRL clubs over acquiring his signature.
Barrett was full of praise for his captain, who he believes has performed well despite the difficult circumstances.
"He's been terrific," Barrett said.
"It would have been really hard if they [the senior players] hadn't had the attitude and been leading the team the way they are. Reagan Campbell-Gillard has been playing as good as I've seen him, and so has Gutho.
"When your leaders are doing that for you, it makes your job as coach a little bit easier. I can't thank him enough for that.
"He's been one of our best players all year, and one of our most consistent players here for a long period of time, he's our fullback and he's a great fullback.
"A lot of people don't see the work that Gutho does defensively, there's two sides to that game as well, and playing fullback is probably the most difficult position on the field at the moment in the modern game."
It is still uncertain where Gutherson may play next season position wise if he remains a Parramatta player, with NRL 360 suggesting he could play a freer, roaming role in the side.
What is certain is he will play the final two games at fullback as Parramatta desperately try to avoid the wooden spoon, as the side are level on points with the Tigers ahead of their clash with the Dragons on Saturday.
Barrett says the team is driven to finish a poor year on a high note.
"They're really really driven to finish the year well, and that's testament to them," Barrett said.
"We want to win this game for ourselves and for our fans and our members, but we know we've got to go to Campbelltown the following weekend, and we have to win that as well, that's the reality of it.
"We don't want to be sitting here where we are, but we can control how we perform in these next two weeks."
