Former Leeds Rhinos stars Chev Walker and Richie Mathers are among those who have endorsed the coaching credentials of former Bradford Bulls coach Rohan Smith as a potential successor to Richard Agar at Headingley.
Smith was the final coach of the Bulls before they ultimately went into liquidation in early-2017, but he earned plenty of admirers during his time in England with the former Super League side.
They include Walker - who is now the coach of Leeds' reserves side - and Mathers, both of whom were involved at the Bulls when Smith was present as head coach.
Smith, who is currently the coach of Norths Devils in Australia, is understood to have plenty of admirers on both sides of the world in regards to his coaching ability. There is no suggestion, however, that he has applied for the Leeds job as of yet - with former Featherstone coach Ryan Carr the frontrunner.
Former Man of Steel Adrian Vowles suggested Smith's name as a potential option on Twitter, before Walker replied: "I second that mate was lucky enough to coach under him at the bulls and what he did to the mindsets of the lads and me in such a short period was unreal".
Those comments were then echoed by Mathers, who said: "Great shout both of you. He was/is brilliant". Smith, the son of former Bradford and Wakefield coach Brian, initially signed a three-year deal with Bradford in 2016 but that season, the Bulls failed to reach the Qualifiers in the Championship and missed out on promotion.
They went into administration shortly after and were ultimately liquidated at the start of 2017. Smith then returned home to continue his coaching career - and he led a Norths side including former Super League players such as Tyrone Roberts and Ben Nakubuwai to a Queensland Cup title in 2021.
