Leeds Rhinos chief Gary Hetherington explains why he took chance on Rohan Smith

Hetherington has revealed the rationale behind the surprise appointment of the 41-year-old Australian, who turned the team from relegation candidates to Grand Finalists in just six months.

On Saturday, Smith will get the chance to emulate his uncle Tony when he leads Leeds out at Old Trafford in the 25th Grand Final against reigning champions St Helens.

There was no shortage of candidates to fill the vacancy when Richard Agar stepped down in March after winning just one of his first six matches of the season and Smith was one of five men Hetherington set out to meet during a whistle-stop trip to Australia.

Hetherington had heard great things of Smith, who is the son of former Hull FC and Bradford Bulls boss Brian, but needed to meet all the candidates face to face before making a decision.

“I had never met him before or spoken to him, although I knew his father Brian extremely well,” Hetherington told the PA news agency.

“He was one of five who had expressed an interest in the job, plus a few in England.

“I went to meet each of them. It was a pretty good group and any one of them would, I believe, have been a success.

“But in Rohan I found someone who l believed fitted into what I was looking for perfectly well. One of those things was somebody who was a bit different.

“Coaching in rugby generally has become, I wouldn’t say sterile, but there’s a sameness about it and to really move forward it needs somebody with the inspiration to go outside the box.

“Rohan really connected to the ethos of the club and the community that we pride ourselves in. He ticked all the boxes.”

Smith junior was no stranger to Leeds, having played for local amateur club Stanningley alongside Jamie Jones-Buchanan, his current assistant, while his father was coaching Bradford around the start of Super League in 1996.

Ten years later, Smith returned to England to take up his first coaching role as assistant to Tony Rea at London Broncos and his first job as a head coach was with Bradford in 2016 which was cut short when the Bulls went into administration.

Smith was coaching Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup when he was offered his dream job but the shrewd Hetherington insists it was not a risky appointment, rather a “calculated judgement”.

“Everybody has to start somewhere,” said Hetherington, who gave Smith a three-and-a-half-year contract. “One of the things we have been good at at Leeds over the years is giving people an opportunity.

“We took Tony on when he didn’t have a job and he was a great success, winning the Grand Final twice in his four years with us.

“Rohan had been around quite a long time in Australia but probably wasn’t going to get an NRL job.

“He was desperately wanting an opportunity and we provided him with it. It’s up to him to take it but I would say it was a calculated judgement and I believe he’s turned out to be a pretty good choice.”

Leeds were next to bottom of the table after 10 rounds but Hetherington never gave up hope of making the play-offs and his Sydney-based son-in-law had even more faith in the team.

“Mark likes a bet and he backed Leeds Rhinos at 75-1 and stands to win about 20,000 dollars,” Hetherington said.

“I remember taking the call – I was in bed at the time – and he asked me if I thought he was barmy.

“My response was that I only bet on certainties so wasn’t going to risk five pounds of my own money.

“I said we are where we are but we are capable of getting better and do believe we have a chance of making the play-offs. And, if you can make the play-offs, you always have a chance.”