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  • 17/05/2025
Coach Brad Arthur reflects on Leeds Rhinos' 18-16 win over Hull FC.
Transcript
00:00Your feelings after that one, if you could, please.
00:04It was brave.
00:06Over our last two performances,
00:09or even our last three performances,
00:11in our whole KR,
00:14we got ourselves in a winnable position
00:16and we found a way to lose it.
00:18And then the following, you know, so we're learning.
00:20We found a way that next week,
00:22we got ourselves in a winnable position,
00:24we found a way to hang on and win.
00:25And tonight we were down, you know,
00:30come from behind and found a way.
00:32So we're learning some good lessons
00:34while we're still collecting a few points,
00:37which is good.
00:38The thing I'm really impressed with,
00:41we're 11 rounds in and they're wanting the desires there.
00:44Like every game we've come with the right choices
00:46and we've made the right choices
00:47and we need our effort and physicality.
00:50And that's not down to me,
00:52that's the players,
00:52they're making those choices.
00:54So that's the bit I'm really excited about
00:57is that, you know,
00:58they've given us something to work with
00:59because we're still miles away from our best footy.
01:03We don't need to be there,
01:04we need to be getting,
01:05at least we're getting better each week.
01:0816-4 down,
01:09what are your thoughts at that point?
01:11I was pretty happy with myself tonight actually.
01:13I'm usually quite emotional,
01:15but I was,
01:15remained nice and calm
01:16because I just felt like
01:18if we could drag it into the style of footy
01:19that we wanted to
01:20and play execute our plan,
01:22which we didn't do great.
01:26And I thought,
01:26you know,
01:27you've got to give credit to them,
01:27they played really well.
01:28They played really well,
01:29they didn't give us much,
01:30they completed high,
01:32they kicked well.
01:33They just probably beat us
01:34at the simpler things of the game.
01:37Yeah,
01:39so,
01:40look,
01:40we've got plenty to learn from it,
01:42but,
01:42you know,
01:42at least it didn't cost us 60 points.
01:44The lengthy stoppage for Jordan Rappaner,
01:46it was 11 minutes,
01:47it seemed to go against you
01:49rather than all.
01:51We started really well.
01:53We just moved to probably go back
01:54and start over again.
01:57So,
01:57that's,
01:57you know,
01:58something I can look at
01:59and how I've,
02:00again,
02:01in that situation,
02:02if it ever happened again,
02:03how I could do better myself
02:04as a coach
02:05to get them ready for that.
02:07It's not something
02:08you'd ordinarily prepare for?
02:09It's not,
02:09but,
02:10you know,
02:10I thought I needed to be better there.
02:12How,
02:13at 16-4,
02:14the Brodie Croft try-saver,
02:16I mean,
02:16what can you say about that?
02:17I just think there was a set of
02:19three,
02:20four sets in a row
02:21on our trial line.
02:22That's where,
02:23from there,
02:25I felt like,
02:25you know what,
02:26I think we're going to end this.
02:27You know,
02:28and it's going to come down
02:28to the last couple of minutes
02:29and we're going to come up
02:30with something big
02:31because,
02:32you know,
02:33you always get what you deserve,
02:34but that's,
02:35you know,
02:35what I was thinking,
02:36well,
02:36we deserved it
02:37on the back of our defence
02:38to fight our weight
02:39and it would be good
02:40for our spirit.
02:42That captain's challenge
02:43as well was pivotal.
02:44Is that the best way
02:45to use it,
02:46to keep it
02:47as long as possible?
02:47I think Ash Hanley
02:48with his leadership
02:49has really grown.
02:50He's playing some
02:51really good football.
02:52He's playing really well.
02:53We had three bits
02:56of experience plays
02:59from three experienced players
03:01in the team
03:01at the back
03:02and we were going
03:02over three minutes to go.
03:04You know,
03:04Callum,
03:04just nice and cool
03:05under pressure
03:06on the last tackle.
03:07We didn't get his hands
03:08anywhere near the ball.
03:10Nice and calm
03:11with their challenge.
03:12They knew what they needed to do.
03:13Then Ash comes up
03:14with a nice carry down
03:15on the left-hand side
03:15of the field
03:16and then Ryan Hall
03:17on the other side
03:18of the field
03:18scores a try
03:19but not many blokes would.
03:20So, you know,
03:20there's three bits
03:21from experienced players
03:23and leadership
03:24and that's
03:24what their job is.
03:27Just give us an insight
03:27into your emotions
03:28with one minute
03:29and 45 seconds
03:30when Halley crashes
03:31over in the corner.
03:32What's going through
03:33your mind?
03:36The kick-off.
03:38Yeah,
03:38that was what was going
03:39through my mind a lot.
03:41You know,
03:42as a coach,
03:43you know,
03:43you always want to be
03:44looking at what you can do
03:45and how you're getting
03:46better
03:46and so I tried
03:47to remove myself
03:48from the emotion
03:49and right over
03:49what's going to happen.
03:51I've worked on
03:52the worst-case scenario
03:53and missing the goal.
03:54So then all I was worried
03:55about was the kick-off
03:56and making sure
03:57we didn't give away
03:57a penalty.
04:00So that was the messages.
04:02That was all
04:02that was going
04:03through my head.
04:04Can I understand?
04:04Smith got 50 minutes
04:05on his return.
04:07Are you happy
04:07with his involvement?
04:09Yeah,
04:09he was okay.
04:10You know,
04:11I'm an honest person.
04:14I think he'll
04:14want to be better
04:15than what he was
04:16in his first game
04:17back
04:17and, you know,
04:18he got a couple
04:19of things wrong
04:19in defence.
04:20I mean,
04:21you know,
04:21I can say,
04:22but he's a handy addition
04:25to our team,
04:25certainly.
04:26Just lastly for me,
04:27you're obviously aware
04:29that you've got
04:29a resilient bunch here,
04:30but is that just
04:31another tip in the box
04:32towards that?
04:33Well,
04:34it certainly makes me
04:37comfortable that we
04:38have plenty to work
04:39with.
04:40And, yeah,
04:41that's a bit of a reward
04:43for how hard they've
04:44worked in the pre-season,
04:46but, you know,
04:46look,
04:46it's round 11,
04:47we've got to keep
04:47doing it every week.
04:48You know what?
04:49We can do it week in,
04:50week out,
04:51whole car do it week in,
04:52week out,
04:52and we haven't proved
04:54that we're that team yet.
04:56That's what we're
04:57going to prove.
04:57Rob,
05:00do you think
05:00sometimes a win like
05:01that can make a season
05:03or certainly push you
05:05a long way towards
05:06doing something else?
05:07Well,
05:07it helps with your belief.
05:09You know,
05:09look,
05:10you've got to,
05:11in a long season,
05:12you've got to be able
05:13to win from being in front
05:14and from being from behind.
05:15A bit of bad luck,
05:16you know,
05:16like,
05:18we put ourselves
05:19in an awkward position
05:21to start the second half
05:22where we just turn the ball
05:23over,
05:23turn the ball over,
05:24and they put a kick up
05:25and it's going dead
05:26for all money
05:26and it hits the post.
05:28So,
05:29but,
05:29you know what,
05:30you might say
05:31they got a bit lucky
05:32with it.
05:33Well,
05:33they got luck
05:34on the back
05:34of executing
05:36their plan
05:36better than we did.
05:39But,
05:39you know,
05:40we stayed strong.
05:41We were nice and tough
05:42and,
05:42yeah,
05:43that resilience
05:43was pleasing for me.
05:45I was going to say,
05:46it is a resilient team,
05:48isn't it?
05:48Because in the last
05:49sort of 10 minutes
05:50there were,
05:50like,
05:50the kick out
05:51and the fall
05:51and things like that.
05:52I think we showed
05:52that last week too,
05:54didn't we?
05:55You know,
05:55like,
05:55we had a trial
05:57disallowed
05:58and we couldn't
05:59quite finish
06:00Saints off
06:01but then we did,
06:03you know,
06:03with a couple minutes
06:04to go.
06:04So,
06:05whereas the week before,
06:06you know,
06:06we couldn't get the job
06:07done against Hulk AR
06:08and that might have been
06:10in the back
06:10of the boys' minds.
06:11So,
06:11they're all
06:12small steps
06:13forward,
06:14you know,
06:15at least we're not
06:16up and down,
06:16up and down,
06:17we're trying to be
06:18nice and consistent
06:19each week.

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