Brad Arthur: Leeds Rhinos appoint former Parramatta Eels coach

BBC Sport’s rugby league reporter Matt Newsum

The appointment of Brad Arthur makes a lot of sense for Leeds who need to get experienced coaching quality into the club to make the most of their opportunity for success in 2024.

Arthur has both credentials and a CV from coaching in Australia with the highlight his taking Parramatta to the Grand Final in 2022 and regularly delivering play-off football to a team that had faced challenges in that department.

Importantly, he was available immediately and that perhaps helped sway Ian Blease’s thinking as director of rugby operations.

Leeds can crack on with Arthur at the helm, try to force their way into the play-offs and beyond, which is a realistic ambition, and the Australian can effectively prove his worth potentially for a longer-term position.

Interestingly Blease talks of “continuing the long-term vision” which certainly doesn’t imply Arthur is a shoo-in for the gig beyond 2024 and could suggest that what might work for this season is not necessarily what is felt will be the option going forward.

However, a successful finish to the campaign – in the vein of Rohan Smith’s 2022 appointment – would make it very difficult to look beyond Arthur for the role.