New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur talks long-term future, Perth link and player recruitment from NRL
New boss Brad Arthur has spoken about his long-term future, the possibility of players joining him from Australia and first impressions of Leeds Rhinos’ squad.
Arthur has signed a contract until the end of this season, but a deal for next year and possibly beyond has not been ruled out. Speaking last week, Rhinos’ sporting director Ian Blease said all options remain open and in his first Leeds press conference, the 50-year-old Australian stressed he’s “not leaning either way” over whether he’s in for a longer stay.
“I’ve been honest about it all the way through,” Arthur - who spent 10 years in charge of NRL club Parramatta Eels before being dismissed in May - stated. “I want to be a career coach in the NRL and I feel like I’ve still got a bit of time and some unfinished business there.
“But also, I’ve always had the desire at some stage to coach in Super League, whether that be at the end of my NRL career or as it has turned out, now. I don’t want to be drawn into ‘I am staying’ or ‘I am not staying’, because I don’t know. I just know I am going to do my best.
“I have left my family at home so that shows I am committed to helping the club right now. [I want to] do as much as I can to help the club advance through the rest of this year and next year and beyond, whether it is with or without me.”
Arthur stressed neither he nor Rhinos are in a hurry to make a decision. “The club hasn’t put any pressure on me whatsoever and I haven’t put any pressure on myself around that,” he said. “I am just really excited to see what we produce this weekend and then the next weekend and make sure we are seeing gradual signs of improvement.
“There’s no time frame on it and obviously if we go well and I’m enjoying it and I like the place, that helps. I still have a real desire to coach NRL, but I’ve got a real desire to do the best I can right now.”
As one of Australia’s most respected and experienced coaches, Arthur has been strongly linked with a new Perth club which could enter the NRL within the next two or three years. “I’ve had one meeting with those guys and that was with the Perth government, just around helping them with some questions they had and some ideas,” he revealed.
“Until any decision is made on whether they’re in the competition or not, that’s as far as it has gone. It would excite any head coach, but what I’ve got right here is a clean slate.”
The team boss insisted he will help Rhinos prepare for 2025, whatever his personal future holds. “I am not leaning one way or the other with that at the moment,” he added.
“I am just taking it a week at a time and trying to coach the best I can and improve players and improve the team. But I want to help and make sure the club has the best roster they can within the limits of the salary cap and quota spots, which I am still getting my head around.
“There’s different rules to Australia, but there’s definitely a lot of interest from players to want to come and play for Leeds. Why wouldn’t you? I’ve only been here half a week, but it is a great city and the club has everything going for it.”
Leeds trained for the first time under Arthur on Monday, four days after he saw them lose 30-18 at Warrington Wolves. “I really enjoyed it,” he said of his first session as preparations began for Saturday’s visit of Hull KR.
“On a personal level, [it was good] for me to get back in after six weeks out. You miss it, but the playing group and the staff has made the transition so easy for me and it has made me confident with the delivery of what we did.
“You can try and make changes and improve things, but unless people buy into it, it doesn’t mean anything. I can already see that. We have got a bit of work to do and it’s only day one. They’ve got to still keep buying in in three or four weeks’ time, but all the signs have been positive.”
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Rhinos are seventh in Betfred Super League, four points outside the play-offs. They were taken into extra-time by bottom club London Broncos two weeks ago and a calamitous start at Warrington saw them trail 12-0 inside five minutes.
“They haven’t played the best football, or managed the game really well, but the effort and the want and the desire has been there,” Arthur noted. “In the London Broncos game they probably tried very hard to beat themselves, but under pressure with six-seven minutes to go they managed to claw their way back into it and then hold on in golden-point.
“The pressure in that game must have been enormous, considering the expectation. Even the other night, coming out at half-time I wasn’t sure really what we were going to get because I didn’t know the group well enough. They seemed pretty quiet at half-time, but then they came out and started well and won the second half so that was pleasing.”