Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur is relishing the thought of coaching against his son Jake in Super League next season.
Jake Arthur, a 22-year-old stand-off or scrum-half, moved to Newcastle Knights from NRL rivals Manly Sea Eagles in June on a contract until the end of this year..
He doesn’t have a deal with Newcastle for next term and is set to link up with Hull FC, who Rhinos visit in Betfred Super League on Saturday, in pre-season.
Brad Arthur signed a new deal at Leeds for the 2026 season earlier this month and admitted the prospect of Jake playing in England “certainly helped with my decision”.
He said: “We’ve known for a while Jake had made that decision. He is looking forward to it and it’ll be nice to have him around.
“He’s still not going to be living very close to us, but he’s a lot closer than on the other side of the world.”
Of his son’s move to Hull, the Leeds boss added: “I’ve not had much involvement at all. He’s his own man and he needs to make his own decisions.
“I think his mother helped him out a bit more. He had questions about England and where to live and things like that.
“I’ve pretty much stayed out of it. I’m just glad he is comfortable and has made a decision on what’s best for him.”
Asked if Super League will suit Jake’s style of play, Brad Arthur insisted: “I think so and I hope so. I think he will be good for Hull, but that’s up to him.”
Leeds Rhinos boss responds to Australia speculation
Meanwhile, the Leeds coach – whose other son Matt also plays for the Knights – has ruled himself out of a role in Australia’s Ashes set-up.
Media Down Under have claimed Arthur is under consideration to become an assistant to new Kangaroos boss Kevin Walters for the three-Test series against England this autumn.
Speaking to the UK press this week, Walters said he “can’t confirm or deny about Brad”, but admitted he will be seeking inside knowledge from Super League-based Australian coaches.
Asked about the link at his weekly preview press conference today (Wednesday), Arthur firmly ruled himself out.
He said: “I haven’t spoken to Kev. It would be nice and a real honour to be involved in that, but I’ve made the decision that I am going to put my family first.
“I haven’t seen my boys for a long time and they are coming over in a couple of weeks to spend a month with us, so I am going to put my family first and not my career.
“I have got no interest in going down that path. We are going to spend some family time together once the season has finished here.”
But Arthur, who spent 10 years in charge of Parramatta Eels in the southern hemisphere NRL before joining Leeds Rhinos in July last year, will assist Walters with information about English players, if requested.
He said: “I am happy to help and give him my opinion on how I think the game is over here and the guys playing over here.
“Anything I can offer, I am happy to help. But in terms of interest in the job, I am putting my family first and just focusing on a strong finish to this season.”
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