Leeds Rhinos' Brad Arthur talks coach of the month award, Man of Steel shortlist and Lachie Miller's form

Winger Maika Sivo has collected two player of the month awards this season, Arthur was named top coach for April and full-back Lachie Miller leads the initial Man of Steel leaderboard. Arthur admitted his coach of the month honour is “nice”, but stressed: “Those things are club awards. If the team’s not winning, I don’t get a mention.”

He said: “The team has got to play well and the coaches have got to coach well; Adam [Megretton, head of strength and conditioning] has got to get them fit and Ferg [David Ferguson, head physio] has got to look after them with their bodies. You need a lot of things to go right for people to get those individual accolades. I got lucky with an award because the club and team have put us in that position.”

Rhinos had two players in the Man of Steel top-five when a new panel, appointed to select this year’s winner, announced their leading contenders after Betfred Super League round nine. They will meet again following rounds 18 and 27.

Leeds stand-off Brodie Croft was fourth on the initial shortlist, which also includes Hull KR’s Tyrone May and Jez Litten in second and third place and Daryl Clark, of St Helens who was fifth. Sivo was in the top-10, along with Wakefield Trinity’s Jake Trueman, Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves), Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis and Tristan Sailor (St Helens). There was no place for other in-form Rhinos players including captain/centre Ash Handley and scrum-half Jake Connor, who is the reigning man of Steel.

Asked about the shortlist at his weekly press conference ahead of Friday’s visit to Wigan Warriors, Arthur admitted: “It is hard, you are talking about five players throughout the whole competition. We are just proud of the club and happy for our players as a squad.

“We could have had other blokes nominated in it, but we know it’s a reflection of where the team’s at and the club’s at. You get individual accolades along the way if you are playing in a team that’s healthy and performing well and playing for each other. Maika has got a couple of player of the month awards and is the leading try scorer, we’ve got other guys leading other stats throughout the competition and we’ll have guys at the end of the year in the English Test team.

“When you are playing in a strong club that’s well run and a good team, accolades will come for individuals. But everyone in our team understands that nothing happens without that team mentality.

“Lachie and Brodie know they wouldn’t be in that top-five if it wasn’t for the rest of the playing group and the staff. Grixy [assistant-coach Scott Grix] has put a lot of time into those guys with our attack and Langers [assistant-coach Jamie Langley] has put a lot of time in on defence.”

Miller has scored just one try this year, but leads Super League in tackle-breaks and carries. Arthur said: “He has been very good. He is playing with a real level of control and playing nice and tough.

“He returns the ball at 100 miles an hour for us, he breaks tackles and he works extremely hard with Grixy on his positional play so he catches the ball on the full. It is very hard for opposition kickers to find the grass on him.

“Those areas make a massive difference to our forwards. If he can get that extra five or 10-metres on his kick return they don’t have to get as far back behind the ball.”