‘Training like a 20-year-old’ – Brad Arthur hails Leeds Rhinos recruit and praises pack pair

Veteran winger Ryan Hall is “training like a 20-year-old”, according to Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur.

Hall, who turned 37 last month, re-joined Rhinos from Hull KR at the start of pre-season. He made his Leeds debut in 2007 and won six Grand Finals with them before leaving to join Sydney Roosters at the end of 2018.

Betfred Super League’s leading try scorer, he signed for Leeds in April – three months before Arthur replaced Rohan Smith as coach – but the Australian team boss picked him out as one of three players who have stood out in pre-season training so far.

“Ryan has come in and he is showing the boys his level of professionalism and why he is still going at 37,” Arthur said. “He is training like a 20-year-old, he is training really well.”

Second-rower James Bentley and loose-forward Cameron Smith also received a pat on the back from the coach.

“It’s very hard to try and isolate one or two in particular, but I think James Bentley has trained really well for us,” Arthur added.

“I challenged him around his discipline and a few things in our review at the back end of the year and he has worked really hard on those. He has been very consistent, every session.”

Smith missed just one game in 2024 and will share captaincy duty with Ash Handley next term, which will be his 10th in Leeds Rhinos’ first team squad.

Arthur said: “Cameron Smith has done a lot of good things. He is looking a lot sharper under the football.

“Our forwards have done a lot of work physically to put themselves in a position where they are nice and run-fit, but also they’ve done a fair bit of work with Langers [assistant-coach Jamie Langley] off the ground and in the attack room. They have done quite a bit around getting up and down off the ground and the wrestle in the tackle.”