Brad Arthur talks Leeds Rhinos 2025 priorities and encounter with Castleford Tigers fan

Leeds coach Brad Arthur has revealed what he said to a Castleford Tigers fan after Rhinos made it three wins on the spin with a 29-6 success at the Jungle.

Rhinos’ fifth victory from their last six games lifted them to third in Betfred Super League, and Arthur was pleased with a “professional” performance, as well as paying credit to Tigers for their battling display.

He was also asked in his post-match press conference about a “conversation” he had with a home supporter as he walked through the main stand after full-time.

“That was interesting, wasn’t it?” he said. “He was challenging me around some of our tactics, but that’s part of it – I suppose I’ve got to get used to it. I enjoyed it, it was good – I just told him to relax.”

It was Arthur’s first time coaching at the Jungle, and he revelled in the derby atmosphere.

The former Parramatta Eels boss said: “It was great, this is the bit I have really enjoyed since I have been over here, lots of different experiences.

“You can see the support Castleford has got, and I was really happy we had a good contingent of fans behind us to help us.

“The only way we are going to continue to get those guys wanting to travel away to watch us play is if we play like we did today.”

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Leeds are on course for their highest finish since 2017, but Arthur insisted that where they are on the table now, after 12 rounds, doesn’t matter.

“We are chasing just being a bit better each week and getting our combinations right; where we sit on the table is nice, but not what my priority is right now,” he stressed.

“That performance, that professionalism, can we do that again next week? That’s what we need to be chasing, more so than the two points.

“If we chase those sorts of performances, the win column takes care of itself. We are not at the top two’s level yet, but that’s where we are aiming to get to. Time will tell [if they can do that].”

Though Rhinos scored five tries to one, Tigers pushed them hard for most of the game and trailed by only one point soon after half-time.

“They really had a crack in the first half, and I think the weight of possession and the amount of work they had to do took its toll on them,” Arthur reflected.

“That’s credit to our guys for being patient and professional to play like that. They didn’t roll over and gift us the game, we had to work hard for it.”

FULL TIME | Sorry about that Rhinos fans, it appears X has had a few problems!

Nevertheless, job done in Castleford as Sam Lisone and Harry Newman both scored second tries to get us a 29-6 win! pic.twitter.com/rLrWYRW0go

— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) May 24, 2025