The development has been welcomed by one of the club's favourite sons, Peter Sterling, who is "quietly optimistic" about the blue and golds this season albeit concerned on several fronts, including how halves Corey Norman and Clint Gutherson will gel and how they will manage goalkicking after the departure of Michael Gordon.

The clean-up of the strife-torn club begun by administrator Max Donnelly, continued by chief executive Bernie Gurr and formalised by this week's naming of a new Parramatta football club board, at least leaves the Eels without the perennial external pressures that have hamstrung them behind the scenes, but also without any excuses.

"The most important thing obviously was to get off the paddock sorted out," Sterling said at the Channel 9 league season launch in Sydney.

"You know how I feel about Bernie Gurr, and I've been impressed with the way Max Donnelly and Bernie have handled a difficult situation and are putting us into a situation where we'll have the right people on the board coming in.

"All the signs are that we're going to have the right expertise, the right business knowledge, the right understanding of the game there. That's great, and we have depth in the playing squad and a very good coach, so all the components are there."

While Sterling is hopeful of a return to the semi-finals for a club at which he won four premierships, he isn't entirely convinced about the Eels' prospects.

"I think there are some concerns there," he said.

"The expectation is much greater this year, just on the back of the fact that we know that if they didn't have the 12 points docked [for salary cap breaches] last year they would have been playing finals football. So the expectation is increased this year. But they go in with a rookie halves pairing. Gutherson had a great year last year, but he's not a regular or a specialist half, so that will be important as to how he works alongside Corey Norman.

"Even things like the goal-kicking worry me. They won a couple games off the boot of Gordon last year, and in this competition games can be that tight ... guys like James Maloney and Adam Reynolds, you know that they're going to kick eight out of 10 every year, maybe sometimes better than that. I'm not sure if Parramatta are in that position. Some tight games could come down to goal-kicking and we're not that well served."

Gutherson handled goal-kicking duties in the Eels' final pre-season hit-out against Penrith at the weekend while Norman appears Arthur's other option.

Parramatta begin their campaign against Manly at Lottoland on Sunday week and face premiers Cronulla in round four. But arguably the most anticipated clash of their season will be against New Zealand Warriors in round six in Auckland – if their former captain Kieran Foran is given the all-clear by the NRL to turn out for his new club.

Sterling can understand if Eels supporters were disappointed that Foran was resuming his career elsewhere, but said the club and fan base must get beyond it.

"You can feel dirty about it all you want but it's done. We're disappointed, there is no doubt about that," he said.

"And it's not a cliche to say that his welfare is the most important. I love Kieran Foran. I think for a while he's been the best young player in our game. I like him as a person. It blindsided me, the problems that he had. I don't think anybody in the game really knew to what extent it was.

"So in the end to have him back playing is great. I'm glad that he's back. I so wish it was in our colours, but if that's the way it had to be dealt with and he had to get away, I can live with that. Parramatta fans will be disappointed, but I don't blame him. He's not in a position to be blamed. They're negative thoughts that are really counterproductive now. It's done. Let's get on with it. "