Leeds Rhinos' Matt Frawley predicts tough pre-season under boss Brad Arthur, insists better times are coming
Better times are ahead for Leeds Rhinos, half-back Matt Frawley says.
Frawley described his first season with Leeds as “a rollercoaster of a year” after they failed to qualify for the play-offs and fell at the first hurdle in the Betfred Challenge Cup. But the Australian saw “positive signs” over the final three months of the campaign and believes there is something to build on in 2025.
Frawley’s own form improved after Brad Arthur took over as coach in July and he reflected: “There has been some downs and ups, personally and as a team, but I think we showed at the back end of the year glimpses of what we can be. We have got to hold on to that and there are positive signs going forward.”
Those include the emergence of some impressive young players, who Frawley expects to go up a level following a winter working under Arthur. “Alfie [Edgell] and Lumby [Riley Lumb] are only going to get better after a tough pre-season and blokes like Tom Nicholson-Watton have got some game time this year,” he added. “Hopefully we can bring in some experience as well that’ll add to the squad.”
Arthur initially joined Rhinos on a 10-game contract before signing a deal keeping him at the club for the 2025 campaign. Frawley insists the no-nonsense ex-Parramatta Eels boss is “100 per cent” the right man to take the team forward.
“Everyone’s glad to have him here,” he said of the coach, who won five of his 10 games at the helm. “I think a full pre-season is only going to be beneficial for us and for him to really take hold of how he wants us to play. He has been excellent; personally I have really enjoyed it and I know the boys have as well, so onwards and upwards.”
Arthur kept the players at work for two weeks after their final Betfred Super League fixture, to give them a taste of his pre-season plans and Frawley has no doubt about what’s coming when they return in November. “It is going to be a tough one and it needs to be,” he said.
“That’s what we’ve got to base our game off, hard work and working hard for each other. Brad has made it clear it’s going to be a tough one, you’ve got to embrace it, get your head on and we are going to benefit from it.”
On a personal note, the Australian played in all but two of Rhinos’ 28 competitive games this year, being dropped both times and has no regrets about his move to Leeds. He stressed: “I’ve said it since I arrived, everyone has been really welcoming and the club has been awesome to me and my partner.
“The ups and downs, that’s footy, but I have really enjoyed it. We’ve got some good people here, the team has been great and playing at Headingley, there has been some really good moments. I am excited to have a bit of a break, then come back refreshed and ready for a big 2025.”