'The monkey's off the back': Brad Arthur reacts to Leeds Rhinos' long overdue St Helens win
Brad Arthur declared "the monkey's off the back" after watching Leeds Rhinos break their Headingley hoodoo against St Helens.
The Rhinos had not beaten their rivals at home since 2017 – a losing run spanning nine games – but they cleared that mental hurdle on Thursday night to claim a hard-fought 24-16 victory.
Leeds kept Saints scoreless in the second half, Harry Newman and Maika Sivo adding to Chris Hankinson's earlier try to help the hosts over the line.
Jake Connor contributed six goals in an influential performance.
"I'm very pleased we got the result," said Arthur.
"I don't think we were great – we were good but not great. I think we learned some lessons and it was a step in the right direction for us.
"We didn't quite nail some big moments in the first half and a bit of frustration crept in, particularly with Jake Connor, but in the second half we went out there and Jake iced some big moments for us.
"With people talking about how long it is since we beat them here, the monkey's off the back. The manner in which we went about the victory was pleasing."