Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has given some details on what his plan is for the side in his first official pre-match press conference in the role.
Arthur was announced as the new head coach for the Rhinos last week after weeks of speculation surrounding the role. He is only contracted until the end of the current season, but has refused to rule anything out for next year. Leeds Rhinos currently sit just four points and one spot behind the playoff places – and indeed, four points behind fourth-placed St Helens,
Speaking on his plans for the side, Arthur said: “You can try and make change or improve things, but unless people want to buy into it, unless they want to own it, it doesn’t mean anything. I can already see that we’ve got a bit of work to do and it’s only day one and they’ve still got to keep buying in in three to four weeks time but all the signs have been positive.”
Brad Arthur tells Leeds Rhinos fans what to expect as he explains philosophy
Arthur then detailed what style of play Rhinos fans should expect now he’s in charge, saying: “I feel like the team plays a really exciting brand of football at times but we’re last for errors in the competition and last for errors out of the red zone. You need to be able to build a little bit of pressure, you can’t play exciting football if you don’t have the ball.”
He then explained what his philosophy is as a head coach – something he’ll look to use during his time in Yorkshire. He said: “The game is very effort-based. It has to be given because you can’t win without effort but you can’t also just rely on effort to win your game.
“We’re going to be a team that prides itself on effort and playing for the jersey and playing for each other. The game has to be played at a physical standard. You can’t dip your toes in. You can’t try and play the game or have a soft approach to the game.
“We need to be strong physically and be prepared to put our bodies on the line and go after the collision and enjoy it, you need to accumulate a lot of small wins along the way.
“This team has a real willingness to play football and I think that’s one of their strengths and now my job is to just try and harness that a little bit and make sure they know how to build the pressure.”
