{"id":265387,"date":"2025-11-06T00:27:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265387\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T00:27:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:27:12","slug":"brad-arthur-lifts-lid-on-eels-exit-reveals-he-is-open-to-nrl-return-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265387\/","title":{"rendered":"Brad Arthur lifts lid on Eels exit, reveals he is open to NRL return – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Parramatta Eels<\/a> coach Brad Arthur<\/a> had an unwelcome departure at the club he led for over a decade.<\/p>\n

Breaking his silence on the disappointing end to his Eels tenure, Arthur says he’s a better coach now than the one who was sacked by the club last year, admitting his time at the helm had run its course.<\/p>\n

Now leading the Leeds Rhinos<\/a> in the Super League<\/a>, Arthur opened up about his 11-year stint at Parramatta, his emotional mid-season exit, and the lessons he’s carried into his next chapter.<\/p>\n

Arthur, who guided the Eels to the 2022 NRL<\/a> Grand Final, said he holds no bitterness toward the club that gave him his first crack at top-flight coaching.<\/p>\n

\"EelsSYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 11: Eels coach Brad Arthur looks on during a Parramatta Eels NRL training session at Old Saleyards Reserve on March 11, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“I was grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” Arthur told The Sydney Morning Herald.<\/p>\n

“Eleven years\u2026 it was a great life, and my family got to live a great life.<\/p>\n

“There were negatives, but there were plenty of positives – I wouldn’t change any of it.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes you don’t [learn] the lessons you need to until you get sacked or terminated.”<\/p>\n

Arthur admitted the decision to part ways came at the right time for both sides.<\/p>\n

“Definitely, 100 per cent – I needed it,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’d been feeling it for a while that everyone just needed a change.<\/p>\n

“As coaches, we think we can fix everything, but sometimes you can’t.”<\/p>\n

Arthur has quickly made his mark in England<\/a>, lifting the Leeds Rhinos<\/a> from ninth to third since joining the club.<\/p>\n

He was reportedly in contention for the Perth Bears’ inaugural NRL<\/a> coaching role but missed out to Mal Meninga<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, Arthur says he’s content with life abroad and grateful for a new perspective.<\/p>\n

“I’m really comfortable with my lifestyle here right now, I’m enjoying it,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’s a great club, and it’s reignited my passion for coaching.<\/p>\n

“The scrutiny isn’t as heavy as it was in Australia<\/a>, but I’m very grateful to Leeds for believing in me.”<\/p>\n

The 51-year-old reflected on the toll of elite coaching, admitting that his family and social life suffered during his time in Sydney.<\/p>\n

“My family suffered as a result\u2026 I didn’t learn to prioritise, I hardly went out to dinners or did anything by the end of it,” Arthur said.<\/p>\n

“I used to take losses really personally.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes you might carry that frustration into work, and it rubs off on everyone else.”<\/p>\n

Arthur said the experience taught him the importance of balance and self-awareness.<\/p>\n

“You don’t learn from anything unless you make mistakes; it’s just making sure you don’t make them over and over,” he said.<\/p>\n

Arthur hasn’t ruled out a return to the NRL<\/a> in the future but says he’s in no rush.<\/p>\n

“If the timing was right and the job came up, I’d love to try again and fix a few things I got wrong,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’m not desperate for a job, but I want to coach at the highest level of our sport, and that’s obviously the NRL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I think I can be better.”<\/p>\n

The Eels, now under Jason Ryles<\/a>, have undergone a major rebuild following Arthur’s departure, which included the exit of long-time captain Clint Gutherson<\/a> and prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"2022CONSTANT FIXTURE: Clint Gutherson has made more NRL appearances than any other fullback since 2019. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Arthur, however, says he still wishes the club well and believes both parties are better for the change.<\/p>\n

“I want to see them do well,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It was just time for everyone to move on.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur had an unwelcome departure at the club he led for over a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-265387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-national-rugby-league","11":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","12":"tag-nrl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}