Brad Arthur has put Dylan Brown on notice, saying anything short of NRL domination is unacceptable for the Parramatta five-eighth.
Brown was influential in the Eels' run to the 2022 grand final, combining with Shaun Lane to provide strike on the left edge and memorably running for a career-high 321 metres in the semi-final demolition of Canberra.
He proved just as dangerous at the ensuing World Cup, where he helped guide New Zealand to the semi-finals then scored a try that had the Kiwis within a whisker of upsetting Australia.
On the back of his stellar year, Parramatta moved to tie Brown to a long-term contract that could keep him with the club until 2031 if he so decides.
The Eels have won only two of their first six matches this season and after Mitch Moses masterminded last week's defeat of Wests Tigers, Arthur said he needed to see more from his other half.
"I've just had a chat with Dyl not long ago about it," he said.
"He's playing OK, but OK is not good enough for Dylan Brown now. He was one of the best five-eighths, if not the best five-eighth, in the game last year.
"He needs to dominate this competition. That's the challenge for him."
Parramatta had limited opportunities in the win over the Tigers, committing 12 errors and finishing with only 43 per cent of the ball.
The Eels had only 11 tackles inside the opposition's red zone, less than a third of the number their rivals enjoyed (36).
"We haven't given (Brown) a lot of opportunities," Arthur said.
"His strength is what he does with the football. So we need to have the football for more than 40 per cent, which we had last week.
"It's not just on Dylan, it's on the team as well."
Junior Paulo's return from suspension will help Parramatta's case for victory against Canterbury in the clash at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
The Eels' forward-pack leader missed two matches through suspension and is poised to clash with Bulldogs enforcer Tevita Pangai, who sat the first six rounds out with a calf injury.
"We're up against a really, strong powerful forward pack, so we're going to have our hands full," Arthur said.
"It's an opportunity we're looking forward to."
