Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur drops clearest hint yet about future as he waits on 'last piece'

Arthur has held preliminary discussions with prospective new NRL franchise Perth Bears but they are not expected to join the competition until 2027, raising the prospect of the former Parramatta Eels boss extending his time at Headingley by at least 12 months.

The 50-year-old has revealed that his wife will have the final say when she arrives in England this weekend, although he is not anticipating any issues.

"They've been talking to me throughout the whole process and trying to get something sorted so I don't think the result has swayed them one way or the other," said Arthur.

"Me, Ian (Blease, sporting director) and Gary (Hetherington, chief executive) have been working through it. I've been honest the whole way through that I want to coach in the NRL but I'm a realist and don't feel like there will be an NRL job there for me next year.

"I want to coach and the players are showing me that maybe I can make a difference and help them. That's pretty important to me because I don't want to stay if I don't feel like I can actually make a difference to the club – it would be a waste of everyone's time.

"My wife gets here on Saturday and I suppose she's going to be the last piece of it now to make sure she's comfortable. I'm sure she will be because she's followed me around. Footy has been our whole life so that won't be an issue."

Leeds head into Saturday's Magic Weekend clash with Warrington Wolves four points adrift of the play-off places after breathing life into their season.

Asked if last Saturday's performance and result had increased his desire to stay, Arthur added: "Definitely.

"I want to see the players get better and the club get better. I want to know that I can have a bit of an influence on their attitude and their buy-in to get better.

"I've said I could see that from the start. We've done it for four weeks so as long as we don't get bored of it..."