Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur faces 'hard' decision as 'club is bigger than the coach' admission made
It remains unclear if Brad Arthur will be Leeds Rhinos’ coach next year, but the current boss admits their current form - and days like Saturday - make his decision harder.
The 22-18 defeat of Wakefield Trinity was Rhinos’ fourth successive win, which is their best sequence of results since a six-match hot streak in July and August, 2022. It means Rhinos will go into the second half of the campaign in third spot on the Betfred Super League table, four points above seventh-placed Wakefield.
Arthur had been favourite to be appointed coach of new club Perth Bears, but that role looks set to go to Australia national boss Mal Meninga, raising hopes the 51-year-old might stay at Leeds. However, he is now being linked in the Aussie media with another NRL outfit, Gold Coast Titans and there is no indication as to when Leeds’ coaching situation for 2026 will be confirmed.
Arthur coached Parramatta Eels for 10 years before being dismissed a year ago and joined Leeds last July on an initial 10-game contract. That was quickly extended until the end of this season, but with his sons Matt and Jake both playing in the NRL, he has found it hard being so far from home.
“I’ve said all the way through, the only decision I have got to make is my family,” Arthur stated after Saturday’s motor neurone disease awareness game. “That's the only thing that is holding me back. I really like the club - they keep buying in, playing well and winning.
“It’s not even the winning, but the buy-in all the time. It does make it [a decision on his future] hard, but at the end of the day, I have got to be a family person and I feel like I’m not doing that.”
Rhinos have not given Arthur a deadline and aren’t giving up hope of him remaining at the club next year. Though some reports have claimed Leeds made an offer to Steve McNamara, who was sacked by Catalans Dragons last week, the Yorkshire Evening Post understands that is not the case and they won’t begin a serious search for a replacement until or unless Arthur’s departure is confirmed.
But with half the 2025 season completed, the clock is ticking and obviously a decision will have to be made sooner rather than later. Arthur – whoses side held off a strong fightback from Trinity – admitted: “When Bleasey [an Blease, Leeds’ sporting director] pushes me for an answer, I’ll have to give him one.”
There is no doubt losing Arthur would be a blow. Rhinos, who finished eighth in the past two seasons, are on track for their highest position on the league table since they won the Grand Final from second place in 2017, but Arthur insisted there’s more to their resurgence than his coaching.
“It’s not me,” he said. “We have got great staff here, there is a good playing group and it’s well run, so it is the club. I am just a person who is helping that at the moment. The club is bigger than the coach.”