Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur has confirmed his intentions of returning to the NRL, with the Perth Bears likely the team now at the head of the list.
Arthur is off-contract at the end of the 2025 season in the Super League and revealed recently that he was holding off on signing a deal with the club.
He admitted he wants to be back in Australia with his family, with sons Jake and Matt currently at the Manly Sea Eagles and Newcastle Knights respectively, and to earn another crack in the NRL after spending a decade in charge of the Parramatta Eels during his first stint, coaching over 250 games and leading the side to a grand final in 2022.
News Corp are reporting that Arthur is among the front-runners to earn the gig as head coach of the Bears for 2027, but would have the 2026 season to set himself up, leaving England at the end of the current campaign.
The Sydney Morning Herald are also reporting that he has bought a property in Perth, although Arthur said that had nothing to do with the Perth-based team, and everything to do with his family and wife Michelle.
โMichelle is from Perth, she still has family in Perth, and we're always travelling to, and from, there. We decided to buy an investment property there after selling another property that we owned," Arthur told the publication before confirming he was keen on coaching in the NRL.
โI don't think it's a secret that I would love to coach in the NRL again.
โI still feel like I have a lot to offer and have learnt a lot over the past 12 months that will make me a better coach than the one that left Parramatta.
โWould I like the Perth job? Of course. I feel I have proven that I can build a club from the ground up, because that's what we had to do when I started at Parramatta. But this is all premature ... But if you're asking me if I would be interested, then yes, I would be.โ
The same publication are reporting the likes of Sam Burgess, Josh Hannay, Kevin Walters and Justin Holbrook could also be in the mix, but none have the experience of Arthur.
The former Eels boss, who began his career at 23 as captain-coach in Batemans Bay, then did the same thing in Cairns before beginning his NRL journey with the Melbourne Storm as a development coach. He then coached at under-20s level, and went on to be an NRL level assistant coach before moving to the Eels.
The 50-year-old ran out of time at the Eels amid injuries and poor form over the final 18 months of his tenure, with things going backwards and downhill following the 2022 grand final appearance, but there were plenty who believed he was harshly dealt with given the circumstances.
The Bears, once they are formally announced, will need to hit the ground running with a head coaching announcement before being able to attack the open player market from November 1.
