Brad Arthur gives update on how Leeds Rhinos will replace Rhyse Martin

After confirmation earlier in the week that Rhyse Martin would leave Leeds Rhinos at the end of the season, head coach Brad Arthur has spoken on how the club might go about replacing him.

Despite signing back in 2019, Martin has been one of Leeds Rhinos’ best signings in recent years which is indicative of both just how good he has been when wearing blue and amber but also how poor some of the recruitment has been at Headingley since their last Grand Final win in 2017.

Arriving from Canterbury Bulldogs, few could have expected for Martin to have such an impact in his time with the club but the Papua New Guinean forward has consistently been one of the best to take to the field.

When Ian Blease was appointed sporting director earlier in the year, the task of re-signing Martin will surely have been among his top priorities but it was confirmed on Monday that the 31-year-old was set to let that contract expire.

The club confirmed that news with a short statement: “Leeds Rhinos have confirmed that Rhyse Martin will leave the club at the end of the season.”

It’s since been widely reported that he will join Hull KR, a major blow for Leeds and a sign of just how strong the Robins are becoming.

Brad Arthur on Leeds Rhinos’ Rhyse Martin replacement plans

In his first press conference since the announcement, Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur was asked about losing Martin and how the club could plan to replace him.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Arthur explained: “Yeah, look, it’s disappointing and it’s a loss but one thing I have come to learn in our game is that these things happen all the time and sometimes one door closes for someone and it opens for someone else and it’s an opportunity for other blokes to step up.

“We wanted Rhyse to stay but he’s got to do things for himself and like I said, sometimes a door closes on one person and other opportunities open for other guys. That’s the way we’ve got to look at it.”

There is one positive in Martin’s departure and that is that it grants Leeds Rhinos a quota spot to recruit an overseas player to replace him. When asked if discussions had been had and someone had been earmarked for the role, Arthur explained what next.

“Not at the moment. We’ll get some interest but we just need to sit back, I had a bit of a chat with Ian during the week and a bit of a look at the numbers and spots and what we can and can’t do. We’ll get on to that over the next couple of weeks but it does free up quota spot.

“Until we actually know exactly where we stand, we know we’ve got a spot, but how much money that looks like will determine what market you’re in for, what type of player. Yeah, so there’s still a bit of work to be done there.”

He had also rubbished talk of Liam Knight joining the club, something that had previously been reported earlier in the week.