The door has been left open.
Leeds’ Harry Newman will play for Hull FC on Thursday night. (Image: SW PIX)
Brad Arthur has insisted that there is a future at Leeds Rhinos for Harry Newman. The centre is set to play on loan at Hull FC against St Helens this Thursday night, with the Leeds boss stating that the two clubs will then assess the situation ‘week to week’.
The loan move is a one-week deal, with Arthur adamant there is a way back into the Leeds team for Newman, avoiding what would be a premature end to his Rhinos career ahead of his move to new NRL franchise Perth Bears for the 2027 season and beyond.
Arthur has selected Aussie recruit Jack Bird over Newman for Leeds’ last two games, with the 26-year-old challenged now to make the most of his stint at the Black and Whites, however long it may be.
Newman’s inclusion in Hull’s squad is welcome, with a crippling injury list threatening to derail their season. He is set to replace Arthur Romano at centre, with the French star undergoing surgery after picking up an ankle injury in the Good Friday game at Hull KR.
“Harry is a great player,” Arthur, who stated there is ‘definitely’ a way back for Newman at Leeds, said. “If he’s playing his best footy, he’s part of our best team. That’s what we’ve got to get back to and this is the way that we’ll do it.
“Harry missed out on selection this week and when I spoke to him last week about that, he needed to get some game time. I gave him the weekend, and he wants to play. It’s been a couple of weeks since then and he wants to play at Super League level, which I’m supportive of.”
Asked if Newman could be at Hull, who take on Castleford Tigers, Toulouse Olympique and Bradford Bulls over the next few weeks, for longer, Arthur continued: “We’re clear on that he’s here for the season and he wants to fight his way back into the team.
“He’ll get some game time this week with Hull and it’ll be a week-to-week proposition because he wants to fight his way back into the team here. They were in need of a bloke of his quality and it fits for us as a club and it fits for Hull.
“We can’t complain or whinge about it; we wanted competition for spots, and we’ve got that – we’ve got to make the most of it now. We could be sitting here with ten injuries so this is a healthy situation; everyone has been open and honest with it and Harry has taken it the right way.”