Brad Arthur lays out brutal demands and high expectations to Leeds Rhinos squad

Brad Arthur has laid out his vision for how he wants Leeds Rhinos to look under his leadership – insisting effort alone will not be enough to satisfy his high expectations.

Arthur inherits a Leeds team who played exciting, off-the-cuff rugby under Rohan Smith, but who top the competition tally for errors in general, plus errors when in attacking positions.

And the Australian insists that is something he intends to change, hinting that he will bring more structure to Leeds’ play in order to make them a more resolute and error-free side – warning his players they cannot think they are playing ‘touch footy’.

“You need to have some sort of plan,” he said.

“We’re chasing the result which is two points, but you need to accumulate a lot of small wins along the way. Those small wins will equate to scoreboard pressure and that’s how you get the two points. We’ve got to start games better and build better before we think we can just go play touch footy.”

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When asked what his philosophy for Leeds will be during his time in charge – however long that may be – Arthur insisted effort alone is a bare minimum he expects, but it is not enough in his eyes.

He said: “The game is very effort based. It has to be a given because you can’t win without effort – but you can’t just rely on it to win you a game either.

“We’re going to be a team that prides itself on effort and playing for the jersey and each other. The game has to be played at a physical standard.

“You can’t dip your toes in or have a soft approach to the game, we need to be strong physically and put your bodies on the line. Go after the collision and enjoy it. Then the execution and skill, you’ve got to get that right as well as managing the game.

“It’s not just going out there and saying, we’re going to play football.”

Arthur also insisted from what he has seen of Leeds’ players so far, he has been impressed.

“I think they’re exciting,” he said of the squad. “We’ve had a bit of change and with new faces comes a bit of excitement. There’s also a bit of uncertainty what to expect but what I’ve seen is a real willingness to want to find ways to get better.

“You can tell they care about the club and their team-mates. They’re willing to take on board whatever I feel is needed moving forwards. There’s been a real willingness with that which is great. While they haven’t played the best football or managed the game well, the effort and the desire has been there.”

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