‘He just stripped it right back’ – Lachie Miller opens up on impact of Brad Arthur

Leeds Rhinos fullback Lachie Miller endured a rollercoaster 2024 season, but he feels the stripping down of his game by Brad Arthur was able to unlock his best form. 

Miller was potentially the embodiment of Leeds’ season in the early stages, with inconsistent performances throughout, but things took a rapid turn upon the arrival of the former Paramatta Eels boss and he quickly became a key figure in the Rhinos squad.

“I needed to do the basic things better”

Crucial errors at key times and lapses in fundamental aspects of his game blighted him during the opening games of the season, but Miller exclusively told Love Rugby League that the introduction of Arthur allowed him to see the key areas of his game he could then build from to have his standout moments.

“He just stripped my game down,” Miller said. “He said to me that I needed to do the basic things better, as those were the errors that were letting myself and the team down and then the footie I can play could come off the back of it.”

“He just stripped it right back for me and made the game very clear, and I then knew what to do and judge my game off those effort areas.”

Nothing summed up his late-season form more than his stellar showing against Catalans Dragons at Headingley. Against Les Dracs, Miller racked up an impressive 221 metres from his 23 carries in his 80-minute shift, an average of 9.6 meters per carry, and also posted a tidy 13 tackle bursts too.

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Miller also ended the season in the top 10 for the coveted Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award.

Whilst his own individual form was a major talking point in the back-end of the season, Miller feels the team’s overall improvement upon Arthur’s entry to Headingley was what allowed him to flourish, and identified the work up-front as the key catalyst behind it.

“When Brad (Arthur) came in, our game picked up a bit,” the back told LRL. “Our middles started winning a few more things and that helped. I think it’s exciting coming into this year, we’re fitter and stronger and, hopefully, some footie can flow off the back of that.”

The basic fixes were undoubtedly the main improvement area for Miller, but, he still retained that genuine counter-attacking ability, and he revealed Arthur was ‘very happy’ for him to still play this way.

“Everyone likes to see the footie flow, and he was very happy for me to do that. He did set some parameters around it, but he was very happy.”

“Even if I try to take it out of my game, somehow I just do it,” Miller continued. “It’s something that will always be in my game, trying to find space and that broken field play, but also trying to learn the game a bit better when I inject myself. That’s a task for me this year.”

“We were getting much better with our combinations”

A big talking point heading into 2024 was the new-look Leeds Rhinos spine. Miller was one of four new additions in this area at the start of last season, with Matt Frawley joining from Canberra Raiders and Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers both made the move from Salford to Leeds as well; however, they didn’t quite have the effect the Headingley faithful would have wanted.

But, reflecting back on the year that was, Miller did feel the combinations were starting to click and believes they are in a much better place heading into 2025.

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“I thought towards the end of the year, we were getting much better with our combinations. If one of us made a break, then two of us were right next to him, so we were really getting there.”

Leeds haven’t recruited massively in their spine this year, but versatile back Jake Connor is a man who could come in, as could youngster Jack Sinfield, and Miller feels the increased competition is getting the best out of everyone in the unit.

“One thing that has really helped us (the spine) this pre-season is the addition of Jake Connor and Jack Sinfield having another year under his belt, it’s just more competition for positions and you know if someone slips up then there is someone there to take your spot. It’s really exciting for everyone.”

“Some of the great teams, like that Melbourne Storm team and even Leeds back in the day, when the spine is clicking then everyone is clicking. It’s going to be a full team effort, but we want the spine to be clicking so that everything’s rolling.”

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