“I want to be a career coach in the NRL.”
Former Parramatta Eels coach and current Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur has confirmed he has aspirations to return to the NRL in the future, citing “unfinished business” in the competition.
Arthur’s arrival at Leeds comes after he was unceremoniously sacked from the Parramatta Eels earlier this season after a string of lacklustre performances and falling to the bottom of the table, two years after making the NRL Grand Final.
The coaching change from the Eels comes after he was one of the team’s longest-tenured coaches having spent 11 years in the head coaching position – Jason Ryles will take over next season.
Amid unchartered territory, the 50-year-old and father of NRL duo Matt Arthur and Jakob Arthur has moved away to the Super League competition for the first time in his career, boasting a 52 per cent winning percentage.
Taking over the reins as the new head coach of the Leeds Rhinos less than a fortnight ago, Arthur has revealed in his first media conference with the club that he has an ambition to one day make his way back to the NRL but has not put a timeframe on a potential return.
“I’ve been honest about it all the way through, I want to be a career coach in the NRL and still feel like I’ve got some unfinished business there,” he said.
“But also, I’ve always had the desire at some stage to coach in the Super League – whether it was at the end of my career or now. I don’t want to be drawn into whether I’m staying or I’m not: because I don’t know.
“I’ve left my family at home so that shows I’m committed to helping the club right now. If I can do as much as I can now to help the club advance through this year and beyond whether it’s with or without me, then great.”
Despite revealing that he has ambitions to return to the NRL, Arthur has admitted that does not necessarily mean it will be for the 2025 season, stressing no decisions have yet to be made in regards to his future.
Recently, he has emerged as the heavy favourite to coach the Perth Bears, as the new team looks set to enter the NRL competition in 2027 as the next new expansion side.
Other candidates for the Perth Bears coaching gig include Craig Bellamy, Laurie Daley, John Cartwright, Matt King, Jason Taylor and David Fairleigh.
“The club hasn’t put any pressure on me whatsoever,” he added.
“I’m just excited to see what we produce this weekend and the next weekend after that, and make sure we’re seeing gradual signs in training both with their intake of understanding of what’s required to win games footy and how to manage it.
“The team plays an exciting brand of football but we’re last for errors in the competition.
“There’s no timeframe on it – if we go well and we’re enjoying it and I like the place, well that helps. If the players buy in too, great.”