Examining Leeds Rhinos' options as coach and prop top priority list
It looks like being another disappointing campaign for Leeds Rhinos and the priority now has to be ensuring next year is better.
Having finished eighth in Betfred Super League last time, a top-six place was Rhinos’ minimum requirement for 2024, but - with just seven games remaining - they are four points adrift and face a tough run-in which includes a quartet of meetings with the current top-three.
Whatever has gone wrong, Rhinos can’t be accused of letting things drift. In the off-season they splashed out six-figure transfer fees to bring in former Man of Steel Brodie Croft and England World Cup hooker Andy Ackers from Salford Red Devils.
Team boss Rohan Smith left the club in June and was replaced, on an interim basis, by one of Australia’s most experienced coaches, Brad Arthur. He was appointed by Ian Blease, Leeds’ new sporting director who is now in charge of the entire rugby operation, including recruiting and retaining staff and players, taking over those responsibilities from chief executive Gary Hetherington.
Personnel on and off the field have changed, but Rhinos remain a long way adrift of the European game’s title-challenging sides and that is a situation Blease has to address between now and the start of next season. So what problems does he have to solve?
Most immediate is the coaching situation. Arthur joined Leeds last month on a deal until the end of this season so Rhinos could again be without a leader in a couple of months’ time.
Despite two losses from three games in charge, Arthur is having a positive impact and there’s a good chance the 50-year-old Australian will stay on. He has made clear he likes it at Leeds and said there’s “no reason I’d want to be in a position to rush out of the club”.
His family are due to join him this week and if they settle, that might go a long way to persuading him to stay. But Arthur has also stressed he has unfinished business in the NRL and still wants to coach there again at some stage.
If he does sign a new deal, it will probably be on a mid- rather than long-term deal, but that’s a situation which should suit both parties, particularly if Rhinos have a successor in mind. Paul Rowley, another possible candidate, has made it clear he wants to fulfil his contract with Salford, which expires at the end of next season.
Coaching uncertainty isn’t ideal at a time when planning is being done for 2025, but part of Arthur’s immediate remit was to suggest changes and improvements going forward. As a 10-year NRL head-coach veteran, he is the ideal man to offer advice on possible signings from that competition.
Recruitment, though, isn’t going to be easy. There has been a large turnover of players in the past few seasons at Leeds, but only five of the 33-strong existing squad are in the final season of their deal, which doesn’t give the club much room for manoeuvre.
Rhyse Martin’s departure opens up a space on the overseas quota and under the salary cap, but if Rhinos want to bring more than a couple of players in, some who are contracted for next year might have to leave, which is far from straightforward.
Leeds – who play host to Wigan Warriors on Saturday – probably don’t need to make a huge number of changes, to what is a talented squad backed by some exciting young talent waiting in the wings. Rhinos have a strong backline and youngsters including Alfie Edgell, Ned McCormack, Riley Lumb and Jack Sinfield have proved they can come in and do a job when required.
The real issue is the pack. A year ago fans were crying out for a couple of big, metre-making middle men to get Leeds on the front foot - and they still are. Leeds’ forwards are willing and mobile, but don’t have the size, or nastiness, to get over the top of the opposition on a consistent basis. That surely has to be a priority for 2025 and whichever overseas spots become available, rather than bringing in a direct replacement for Martin.
More go-forward is the key to Leeds’ backs being able to do their thing. Everybody needs strong ‘middles’ so they aren’t easy to find, but if Rhinos can do that, they have good enough players already at the club to have a much better year.
Of the players nearing the end of their contract, winger Ryan Hall’s return will presumably be in place of David Fusitu’a, with Edgell, Lumb and others providing injury cover. Three-quarter Luis Roberts and hooker Corey Johnson have both dropped out of the picture and have a wealth of competition for their spot, but James Donaldson is someone Leeds may want to keep. His versatility and work ethic make him an ideal squad man in a salary capped sport.