Making sense of Leeds Rhinos' Jake Connor deal with recruitment shakeup to unfold
Leeds Rhinos' interest in Jake Connor certainly caught people by surprise. The Rhinos are on the brink of securing a deal for the Huddersfield Giants talent in what is set to be one of the first significant pieces of recruitment in the Brad Arthur era.
As a player and a character, Connor is a polarising figure, so it's no surprise that the reaction to Leeds' pursuit has split opinion. The 29-year-old is a quality player, and of that there can be little dispute. On his day, Connor is among the competition's elite attacking players and he has proven throughout his career that he is capable of winning games singlehandedly.
But the last few years haven't gone to plan, the last two seasons at Huddersfield Giants have been a disappointment, with the club dropping down the table. Individually, Connor has even found himself out of the team.
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Connor is rarely out of the spotlight and this year has been no different. He has regularly come in for criticism from Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin throughout the year and he has been involved in some high-profile moments this year that have brought his antics into question. He was sin-binned in the Challenge Cup semi-final and was criticised for protesting to the referee instead of defending a play that saw St Helens score.
But a lot of Connor's controversial moments appear to see his good moments overlooked. He was one of the competition's top players at the start of the season, starting the campaign with six assists in as many games, while he was the star performer when the Giants dumped Catalans out of the Challenge Cup.
With all that said, Leeds' interest in the Great Britain international shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Brad Arthur has previously expressed a desire to sign an outside back with utility qualities and a competitive streak. Jake Connor most certainly brings that to the table. Leeds previously showed interest in Jordan Rapana before his move to Hull FC so it was clear that outside back cover was on the agenda.
And the benefit of signing the Halifax-born talent is that he won't utilise one of the two current quota spots the club currently has unoccupied, which can instead be used on bolstering a pack that needs reinforcement.
The club is already going through the process of clearing salary cap space, which started last week when they secured an early exit for Mickael Goudemand. More departures are to be expected and in that sense, a move for Connor might make a lot more sense as more jigsaw pieces are put into place.
Another important point to make is that Connor is a competent goal-kicker, something Leeds need with Rhyse Martin heading for pastures new next season. Connor has a success rate of 74.1% from the kicking tee over the last two seasons, which gives them a good option heading into 2025.
Every signing comes with an element of risk attached to it and this deal is no different for Leeds. They must first decide where they intend to play him and they must then get him playing his best rugby consistently. But if Arthur can do that, and you suspect he is capable of doing that, the Rhinos have a player at their disposal that can unlock any defence.
One particular criticism of the Rhinos this year, certainly on in the season, was their inability to convert good ball sets into points. With Connor, you suspect that the issue will be fixed up.
It's clear from the outside that both the player and his current club, Huddersfield, need to go down different paths. This is very much a move that appears to be in the best interest of both parties. But that doesn't mean Leeds, and Connor, can't benefit together.