On Wednesday, June 19, the search for a new team manager got underway as soon as Rohan Smith announced his resignation. Smith served as the Rhinos’ tenth full-time head coach during the summer era, which started in 1996. Should he re-join the team this season, Smith will be their fifth in the previous seven seasons.
The “next stage” of the process is about to begin, according to sporting director Ian Blease, who has already interviewed a number of candidates. “Since last week, I have been going through the candidates,” Blease stated to The Yorkshire Evening Post. “I’m working through some excellent candidates, and we’ll be moving on to the next round [next week].”
Leeds Rhinos expect to get one step closer to appointing a new head coach in the coming days after interviewing a “good set of applicants.”
Interest in the job has been expressed both domestically and internationally. The decision-maker and person in charge of hiring, Blease, disclosed: “More information is needed at this level.
“For some of the Australian applicants, it was undoubtedly a case of me presenting myself and answering their questions about the club overall, myself personally, and them personally.
I’ve never spoken to a few of them before. The next step will be a more in-depth conversation where we will talk more about philosophy, strategy, and how we both want to move the club forward. It has been a learning experience for us both, and I want to make sure I do the job well.
Although Leeds is not disclosing the contenders’ identities, Australian Brad Arthur, who managed the Parramatta Eels for ten years, and Paul Rowley, the current manager of the Salford Red Devils, have been strongly connected to the position. Blease stated at the beginning of the process that he is searching for a capable man-manager who is “tactically talented and experienced.”
He has been pleased with the calibre of coaches expressing interest in the position after one week. “I think it’s fair to say, given the size of the club and the job, that applicants to Leeds are of a different calibre than those to other clubs,” he stated. It’s a large club, and depending on their circumstances and availability, I’d imagine a lot of good head coaches would want to be there, without seeming pompous. A quality group of applicants has applied.
The club was led by interim coaches Chev Walker and Scott Grix, who were Smith’s assistants, during last week’s victory against Leigh Leopards. They are anticipated to stay in command when Leeds hosts the lowest-seeded London Broncos of the Betfred Super League on Saturday. But by the end of the following week, Blease intends to have “a firm idea of which direction we’re going in.”
“There are numerous obstacles to clear,” he said. Not only with the candidates, but also with the club. It is imperative that we return to the board and have a discussion about it. I want to make sure that I report back to everyone on the board, even though it is just me shouting this out.
“Chev and Scott will continue to serve as the London game’s temporary coaches.
