Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith on his journey back to England and tapping into club's Grand Final history

The Australian led Norths Devils to Queensland Cup success last season and set Brisbane Broncos' feeder team down the path to their latest shot at glory against Redcliffe Dolphins.

Smith left the Devils in April to take up an opportunity with Leeds Rhinos in Super League and has overseen a remarkable transformation, leading the club from second bottom to a first Grand Final in five years.

But for some joined-up thinking in the Smith household, there is a chance the 41-year-old would be preparing for a Grand Final in Kippa-Ring and not Manchester.

"It was an easy one and a hard one at the same time," he said on the decision to swap Brisbane for Leeds.

"My ambition to be a great coach and have a crack at a great club has always been there.

"I'm privileged to have that opportunity but when Gary (Hetherington) said he'd like me to be the next coach, I told him I needed to speak to a couple of people first.

"One was my club at Norths Devils to get their permission to be released early from my contract. They'd done a lot for me and given me a great opportunity to win my first Premiership last year.

"The other person I needed to speak to was my wife. I'm very committed to my family and if I didn't feel the time was right, I would have stayed at home and continued what I was loving doing in Brisbane.

"We're very much a team. She said we needed to do this."

After bringing his three young children halfway around the world, Smith wants to make Leeds their home away from home.

"Our kids are seven, four and one so they're pretty happy following mum and dad," he added.

"It had to be a team effort to leave Brisbane and come here. To shift your family is a big thing but it's also what we sign up for as a coach.

"We know we've got to move around from time to time but hopefully we can settle in here for a fair while."

The early signs are positive for a coach who was a relative unknown when he was announced as Richard Agar's successor five months ago to the day.

Leeds have rediscovered their identity under Smith, combining enterprising attacking rugby with defensive resolve.

Although he had a wealth of experience in the wider coaching world, Smith's immediate success at the top level in Super League provides an element of vindication.

"That's pleasing," said Smith.

"I've had a lot of different roles in different competitions, including as head coach in various competitions except the NRL and Super League.

"I've been around enough and had to adapt enough to have confidence in what I believe an environment, a culture and identity as a team should look like.

"We've made some good progress and are in a decent position but we're under no illusions about what we're coming up against either."

Three-peat champions St Helens stand in the way of the Rhinos and a ninth Super League title.

Leeds do not have to look far for inspiration, beating Saints four times as underdogs between 2007 and 2011.

Indeed, the Rhinos have won eight of the 10 Grand Finals they have participated in, last suffering defeat against Bradford Bulls 17 years ago.

Smith will tap into the club's rich history in the build-up to the latest title decider while striking the right balance.

"I've been floating around some ideas with that," he said.

"I also believe that the people that have played a big part in getting us to this point are the ones that understand our group the best.

"I'm sure there will be opportunity to include other people that need to be included during the week.

"It would be great to recognise those that have come before us, but also it's important to keep tight and connected as a unit."

When Smith left England in 2017 following his departure from Bradford, there was no guarantee he would return. He has been rewarded for never giving up on his dream.

“I do feel like I had unfinished business," said Smith.

"When we came to Bradford we packed up with no plan to go home in any sort of timeframe. That went bad pretty quickly through no fault of probably any one individual.

“But I was always keeping an eye out for opportunities back in the UK. I love the passion and the desire that people have for their club. It’s so much deeper and wider spread than it is back in Australia. It’s just not the same and it doesn't mean as much to as many people as it does here.

"What I've always loved about sport is being part of something with other people and the influence it can have on the community and next generation.

"It’s special here and things have started to line up for us. It’s exciting going into Saturday.”