Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur has praised the performance of winger Maika Sivo, after he excelled on debut against York Knights.
The Fijian international has been out of action for 390 days with an ACL injury suffered in pre-season of 2025, and after the club carefully nursed his return, it certainly paid off.
Sivo scored twice in a 46-14 victory over the newly-promoted side, and got his Super League career off to a perfect start.
Arthur, who coached the 32-year-old for the vast majority of his NRL career, couldn’t be happier for his winger, and…
Speaking post-match, the Leeds boss said: “[Pre-game] he was nervous, I haven’t seen him like that, and I’ve coached him pretty much his whole career.
“I haven’t seen him nervous, so it was good. It showed you how important the game was to him and how much he cared. He’s worked really hard to lose some weight and be ready for the game.
“He was tired, he was out on his feet. He’s got way more to give than that, which is great, but that first try just shows you why we brought him here, because he still had a fair bit of work to do there.”
Sivo powered over veteran Ben Jones-Bishop to cross for his first try in Leeds colours, before he added a second later in the game.
However, Arthur believes there is still plenty to give from the Fijian flyer. He added: “Physically he’s nice and strong. His best footy is still five or ten weeks away.”
As mentioned, the club were delicate in bringing him back to the action, and whilst it was always going to be a risk on his first game back, Arthur thinks it was definitely the right call.
“I was nervous for him, because it was always ‘was the right time to put him out there?’
“He hasn’t played a game. Every decision I make has an effect on the club. I just had to trust that…
“They put that first kick up to him. He got that first catch. He got quite physical in there. I think that’s all he needed.
“I’m just so happy for him, because we challenged him. I challenged him with a few goals at the start of the year around his weight.
“He’s met every challenge. He’s worked really hard. It’s such a sacrifice for his family to travel the other side of the world.
“They’ve had to go through it, these first 12 months. He didn’t play. There were a lot of tough conditions for him.
He’s just a good person. He’s a good boy. All the boys like him.
He’s likeable and happy to be around. He never missed a game last year. He travelled to all the away games. He bought in and wanted to be part of it”
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Leeds Rhinos boss confirms Las Vegas selection plans
Leeds have a huge game next week in Las Vegas, as they take on Hull KR in the Sin City.
The Rhinos will follow in the footsteps of Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors, as they look to continue to show the brilliance of Super League on the world’s stage.
Arthur confirmed that they will be taking a squad of 21 players to across the pond, and 18 of those spots have already been confirmed.
The 17 that took to the field against York, as well as centre Ash Handley, will all make the trip, but Arthur is not yet certain on the final three spots.
Leeds have a reserve game tomorrow against Wakefield Trinity, and the boss will be using that game as a test to see which players deserve a place on the plane.
He revealed: I’ve got a fair idea who the [three] are. But I need to see them play well tomorrow. I can’t be waiting for Vegas to go and pack their bag. I need to see them go and play well tomorrow.”
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