LEEDS RHINOS head coach Brad Arthur has admitted that a return to the NRL it still very much being thought about despite signing a new deal with the Super League side.
Arthur’s future has caused a number of tails to wag during this campaign, given the fact that the former Parramatta Eels boss had only signed up for the 2025 season.
Now he has signed up for the 2026 season on similar terms, with a one-year rolling contract available for Arthur if he wants to commit for 2027 and beyond.
However, the 51-year-old has always been honest about his desire to return to the NRL as a coach.
“Vossy, it does,” Arthur told Andrew Voss on SEN Breakfast when asked if his desire to coach in the NRL still burns bright.
“I feel like I’ve learnt a lot and I probably didn’t learn from some of the mistakes I made along the way until I actually got over here and reflected back on a few things.
“It’s a tough gig in the NRL, and it doesn’t take any passengers. I was pretty proud of my situation, I took over a club that had won a couple of wooden spoons and we got to a period where we were week two finalists four years in a row and then got to a Grand Final.
“I’ve still got that desire. There’s a few things that I’ve learned that I could adjust if I come back home eventually and I want to have a crack at going one better and try to win an NRL competition.”
On his decision to stay at Headingley, Arthur revealed that his daughter is set to join an English university: “There are a lot of good people at the Rhinos and I’ve really enjoyed my time here.
“I felt I could make a difference with this group. I feel like we are getting better and the buy-in from the players.
“They are growing this confidence and riding this wave. I have been looking with my daughter at universities (in the UK) so I was ready to commit to Leeds for another 12 months.”