Their season was effectively over several weeks ago but club legend Peter Sterling is already fearful about the Parramatta Eels' prospects for the 2019 NRL campaign.
After a fourth-place finish in 2017 and the return of prodigal son Jarryd Hayne in the off-season, the Eels were among the pre-season premiership favourites.
Instead, the bottom-placed Eels are the front-runners for the wooden spoon with just three wins from 17 games.
Coach Brad Arthur has put all players on notice for next season amid reports the Eels could shed a third of their roster after a hellish 2018.
But Sterling stressed the importance of buying the right players and urged the Parramatta hierarchy to follow the Newcastle Knights model of recruitment under Nathan Brown.
"I'm concerned about the recruitment, I'm worried there," Sterling told Triple M.
"There's talk of a big turnover, I think they were talking about maybe 10 players may be going.
"I'm very keen to see what type of player they bring in and who they fill that recruitment drive with."
"… Parramatta have to buy the right people and they have to take a leaf out of Newcastle," he said.
"I'm a big wrap on Nathan Brown because he recognised the type of players he needed there and he waited and filled those holes and fruit will be on the tree later on.
"I'm hoping Parramatta are going down that direction because I am concerned about recruitment."
Meanwhile, Sterling also expressed concern over the 'disconnect' between Eels halves Michell Moses and Corey Norman and questioned Arthur's use of his playmakers.
"I'm really disappointed that the combination between Mitchell and Corey isn't better now because the second half of last season, which is when they came together after Mitchell came across from Wests Tigers," he said.
"After being thrown together I thought their second half of the season was fantastic, they combined beautifully and they complimented each other and I thought with another off-season alongside each other that they'd be even better this year.
"But there just does seem to be a bit of a disconnect there in some shape or form and I said after Friday's game that the one thing the Parramatta halves aren't doing enough for me is passing the ball to each other.
"They really have gone back to playing that one side (of the field) and if you have a look at the successful sixes and sevens in the competition - Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker are great, Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop play the same side when needed and Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk do the same.
"I think Parramatta would be better served if they weren't just playing one side and getting together more because we do look stymied in attack and devoid of ideas sometimes and I think that's part of the problem."