Eels’ blockbuster acquisition injures foot at practice…

The son of Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur has been granted permission to speak to other clubs after a request to leave Parramatta Eels: the club Arthur himself coached until earlier this year.

Matt Arthur has played a handful of NRL games since making his debut, and is widely seen as a fine prospect within the game. However, the hooker requested to be let go from the final season of his contract with the Eels – and the club have now granted that release.

Speaking to AAP, Parramatta chief Jim Sarantinos said that their decision to grant Arthur’s release was based around compassionate reasons.

“Matt is a great young man and it was wonderful to see him make his NRL debut earlier this year,” Sarantinos said.

“While we would love to see him stay at the Eels, we understand the unique circumstances involved with this request and our decision to grant permission to negotiate with other clubs is based on compassionate grounds.”

Brad Arthur was sacked by Parramatta in May after a decade-long stint as head coach of the club. Matt’s debut didn’t arrive until several weeks after that but Arthur Sr did hand a debut at the Eels to his other son, Jake, in 2021.

He is now playing with Manly and it appears his brother will also move on from Parramatta at the end of this season, with a request to explore other playing opportunities granted by the NRL club.

Arthur Sr took charge of Leeds for the first time last weekend, falling to a 20-12 defeat against Hull KR. They face Huddersfield Giants in a significant West Yorkshire derby on Thursday night, looking to boost their hopes of making the play-offs.