Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur ‘shopped’ to NRL club after missing Perth Bears gig

Leeds Rhinos fans might have had hope that Brad Arthur would stay for 2026 but he’s being touted for another NRL coaching job.

Arthur is contracted until the end of the season but his role for 2206 is currently unclear, having only signed a one-year extension on the back of his initial ten-game deal.

Whilst the Rhinos missed the play-offs in 2024 under Arthur, they did look much improved and that has carried over into 2025 with Leeds now sitting third in Super League.

Behind Hull KR and Wigan Warriors, it’s fair to argue that Leeds are the strongest team in Super League and much of the credit should go to the Australian who the Rhinos are desperate to keep.

Arthur has spoken openly about his desire to return to the NRL and even interviewed for the Perth Bears job, however, recent reports suggest that will go Mal Meninga’s way with both Arthur and Warrington’s Sam Burgess overlooked.

That news offered hope for Leeds Rhinos fans about Arthur remaining at Headingley for 2026 but it was short-lived as the Australian is now being “shopped” to another NRL side.

Leeds Rhinos’ coach linked to Gold Coast Titans job

Gold Coast Titans are the club in question with coach Des Hasler under plenty of pressure there. Currently, the Titans sit at the foot of the NRL with just three wins all season.

Two of those wins came in the opening three rounds meaning the Titans have since lost seven of eight matches, conceding points at an extraordinary rate.

One thing Arthur has massively improved at Leeds is their defence and he also has plenty of experience of setting teams right and building culture, something he did at Parramatta.

Hasler hasn’t been axed yet but many Down Under feel that the writing is on the wall for the former Manly head coach boasting just a 30% win rate at the club, far lower than the 38% that saw former St Helens boss Justin Holbrook sacked.

A 14th-placed finish in 2024 and just three wins so far in 2025 make for bad reading and Arthur is among those in the running with The Daily Telegraph reporting his name among several others, many of whom are represented by agent Chris Orr.

Orr managed Jason Demetriou, Josh Hannay, John Morris and former coach Justin Holbrook who would all be “keen” according to the Telegraph.