Leeds Rhinos head coach Arthur signs contract extension

Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has extended his contract for a further two years, keeping him at the Super League club until 2028; Arthur joined in 2024 and has taken Leeds back to the top of the Super League table this season

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>Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has agreed a two-year extension to his contract with the club.

>The new contract will keep him at AMT Headingley until at least the end of the 2028 Betfred Super League season.

>The 52-year-old Australian took over in July 2024, initially for the final 10 games of that season, and guided them to eighth place before going on to improve to a fourth-place finish in 2025.

>Leeds sit top of the Betfred Super League table following Thursday night's 24-16 victory over St Helens.

>Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports as the deal was announced the Australian said: "I'm excited at what direction the club's heading in. I'm very grateful for the time that I've had at the club. It's a great club, it's full of great people.

>"A big motivation for me wanting to stay longer was the buy-in from the playing group. They asked for some high expectations and some accountability, and today they're delivering on that.

>"And then it was pretty important that we made a decision for my family. My wife and daughter, Michelle and Charlotte, travelled to the other side of the world with me, and it's important that they had a bit of security locked in and know what we're doing moving forward.

>"It's great news for me as a dad and as a family man, it's great news for me as a coach, and I'm sure the club's happy about it."

>This deal is longer than the one-year contract he had previously insisted on and he is now looking forward to rebuilding his squad this summer.

>"The fact that it's a two-year deal, it's just my way of committing to the club for the commitment they've shown me.

>"I get plenty of benefits out of as well, and I'm sure that the club will.

>"We've got a good stock of young guys coming through, and I'm excited. We've got a great team right now, and we have a little bit of a turnover in our roster coming at the end of the year.

>"We've done that over the last two seasons as well, and I'm sure we're going to have just as good a squad next year as we've got right at the moment."

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>Leeds were once the dominant force in Super League, but it has been nine years since their last Grand Final.

>Arthur says he is keen to bring success back to Yorkshire and says Thursday night's win over title rivals St Helens proves they have a chance.

>"The club and the playing group is desperate for success, and you can see that.

>"It's still a long way to go. What we're probably chasing harder at the moment is just that week-to-week grind and consistency, and being a reliable team. We're slowly getting there.

>"We showed some really good signs last night of improved composure under pressure in the second half. Only two months ago that sort of game, we would have turned into a loss.

>"We're learning some lessons along the way. You can see the growth in the team, where it's certainly not a finished product yet, and there's plenty of good teams in this competition, so we're certainly going to be under some pressure over the next month or so."

>Leeds sporting director Ian Blease believes Arthur is the right man to lead the club into the future.

>He said: "This is a hugely important announcement for Leeds Rhinos. Brad has brought outstanding leadership, professionalism and clarity to our rugby programme since joining the club.

>"He has earned the respect of everyone across the organisation through his work ethic, standards and commitment to improving the team every day.

>"We have been extremely impressed with the progress made under Brad's leadership and, just as importantly, the culture he has helped create throughout the club. There is a shared belief about where we are heading and securing Brad's future enables us to keep building a squad capable of challenging for major honours.

>"Brad is one of the most respected coaches in the game and we are delighted that he has committed his future to Leeds Rhinos through to the end of the 2028 season."

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>Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+