Leeds Rhinos: 5 top contenders to be new head coach

VaselineJune 20, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Leeds Rhinos: 5 top contenders to be new head coach

Leeds Rhinos announced earlier today that they are parting ways with head coach Rohan Smith. Leeds started the season with the expectation of challenging for major Super League honors after investing heavily in their playing squad in the final season.

Leeds finished the 2023 season in eighth place in a season that was marked by turmoil both on and off the pitch. Discontent among fans first surfaced following the team’s 61-0 demolition of Catalans Dragons at the end of last season.

However, the arrival of big names like Brodie Croft, Andy Ackers, Matt Frawley and Paul Momirovski gave fans hope of better things to come. Unfortunately for Smith, the results didn’t follow on the pitch and the Rhinos’ humiliation away to Hull FC was the final straw for the club’s hierarchy.

With the news that Leeds will now begin the search for their fifth permanent trainer from 2018, we assess the runners and riders for the hot seat at AMT Headingley.

Quiz: Can you name all these former Leeds Rhinos players?

Paul Rowley

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They say all roads lead to Rome, but in the case of Leeds Rhinos, all roads currently seem to lead down the M62 to Salford. As soon as Ian Blease was confirmed as the club’s new sporting director, speculation began to mount that Blease would soon appoint Paul Rowley as head coach.

Rowley has decided to distance himself from the links ahead of the weekend’s games, saying he is not willing to answer hypothetical questions. But the question may soon become very real after Smith’s departure.

Rowley’s near move to Hull FC at the start of the season has shown that Salford Red Devils are open to negotiating if the offer to release Rowley from his contract is the right one. Rowley knows a number of players in the Leeds squad and obviously has a good working relationship with Blease.

Given his track record of turning around under-performing sides, Rowley seems a perfect candidate for the Leeds job.

Brad Arthur

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Brad Arthur is a big name in Australian Rugby League and until earlier this season had a long association with the Parramatta Eeels. Arthur left the Eels earlier this season with the team underperforming in the NRL. However, this does not tell the whole story of his time there.

After taking over the club permanently in 2014, Arthur led the club to four NRL semi-finals and one grand final during his time in charge. The Eels fell agonizingly short of lifting the trophy in 2022, losing 28-12 to the Penrith Panthers in the main game of the season.

Despite salary cap struggles at the start of his time at the Eels, he maintained a 52% win rate during his time at the club, hitting a 68% win rate in 68%.

If Leeds decide now is the time to look for a big-name coach from Australia in a bid to turn the ship around, Arthur could be the perfect candidate.

Justin Holbrook

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There are few candidates on the market who can combine an excellent Super League record with NRL coaching experience. Former St Helens coach Justin Holbrook is one such candidate.

Holbrook spent three seasons with the Saints between 2017 and 2019 and won 80% of his games in charge of the club. He came to the club when they were in a period of turmoil, parting ways with Keiron Cunningham following a string of poor results.

Holbrook steadied the ship for the Saints and set them on course for the golden era of success they would experience in later years. He won the first of four consecutive grand finals the club would win in 2019 before leaving the club to join the Gold Coast Titans.

Holbrook led Gold Coast to their first finals appearance since 2016 in the 2021 season, where they were eliminated in an agonizing defeat against the Sydney Roosters.

He left the club the following season and has been working as head coach of the Papua New Guinea national team since August 2023. With his track record of success on both sides of the world, Holbrook could be the perfect fit for Leeds.

Danny McGuire

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This would be a date for the romantics out there. That said, there would be some logic to McGuire’s appointment, along with sentiment. McGuire is one of Leeds’ most decorated players, playing a crucial role in their success between 2004 and 2017.

That said, McGuire has served a quiet and solid apprenticeship as a head coach. He worked under Tony Smith at Hull KR, taking charge of the club on an interim basis when Smith left. He then spent time working with Willie Peters when he joined the Robin group.

McGuire left KR to join Castleford Tigers as assistant to Craig Lingard. He was considered for the top job but said he wanted to gain more experience before taking over.

Could a return to Leeds now be on the cards? Possibly. It could be a sensible move to give McGuire the interim job, with a view to working as an assistant to the next permanent permanent coach, in a similar arrangement that St Helens used with Paul Wellens and Kristian Woolf.

It seems more likely that McGuire could be the next, next Rhinos coach. However, there is a possibility that he will return to the club where it all started.

Brian McDermott

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It seems strange to write that Leeds’ most successful Super League head coach could leave a mixed legacy at the club. But as far as Brian McDermott is concerned, that doesn’t seem like an incorrect assessment. He led the club through a glittering period of success, including a treble in 2015.

But there is a feeling among Rhinos fans that McDermott has also left scorched earth in his wake. That he burned up every last drop of energy that the Golden Generation had, leaving no foundations behind for the club to build on. That may be true given the struggles the club has seen since his departure.

So what has changed for McDermott? One thing that will be different is recruiting. McDermott’s record in recruiting players was spotty at best, however, he shouldn’t have been working under Blease. He also grew and matured as a coach, spending time working as an assistant in the NRL.

They say you should never go back. But the Rhinos could be tempted to have one last fling with McDermott. After all, those were the best times in the club’s recent past.

VaselineJune 20, 2024

0 4 minutes read