Matt Lodge’s Leeds debut date confirmed as prospect of 2027 deal explained

Brad Arthur has confirmed Matt Lodge will be in contention to play for Leeds Rhinos next week – and insists the prospect of a long-term deal is not off the table.

Lodge will fly to England this weekend and arrive on Sunday, giving him a full week of training for his new club before they travel to North Yorkshire to take on York Knights.

He will provide a timely boost for Leeds after Thursday night’s defeat to Leigh Leopards, with the former North Queensland prop signing a deal until the end of the season.

And when asked when Lodge arrives in England, Arthur said: “I think at this stage it’s Sunday. We’ll give him a full week of training and we’ll see how he goes but we didn’t bring him over not to play.”

That would appear to suggest Leeds have no qualms about throwing the prop straight in for a Super League debut in a crucial Yorkshire derby against Mark Applegarth’s Knights.

Arthur admitted Lodge was brought over after being impressed by the forward’s desire to secure a long-term deal somewhere for 2027 and beyond.

Lodge’s management have already confirmed that he is in talks with clubs in the NRL about a move back to the competition for 2027, appearing to suggest any move to Leeds will be short-lived.

But Arthur stressed that would not necessarily be the case.

He said: “He was looking for an opportunity. He’s playing for his future and I like his motivation and I like what he wants to do. We’re starting to get some injuries in the forwards and if we get one more, we’re really low. He’s going to help us with that.”

When asked if Lodge’s deal could be extended beyond this season, Arthur said: “It could be. At the moment, he’s going to come over, play well and put himself in the shop window whether that’s for us or someone else.”