9 Oct 2024

Meet…Jake Connor

Factfile

Name: Jake Connor

Age: 29

Place of Birth: Halifax

Clubs played for: Huddersfield Giants (2013-2016, 2023-2024), Hull FC (2017-2022), Batley Bulldogs (2014), Oldham (2015)

International Honours: England (2018), Great Britain (2019)

Positions Played: Full back, Half Back, Centre

Super League Debut: Vs Bradford Bulls (A) 7th September 2013

Career so Far

- Connor kicked off his Rugby League journey at Ovenden and Calderdale service area as a junior, playing the sport alongside football from an early age, before moving to Siddal at the age of 16. The move caught the eye of Huddersfield's scouts and he joined the Giants' youth set up under Chris Thorman, later signing a full-time contract at the age of 17 in November 2012.

- 2013 was a standout season as Connor's professional career started to take off. Having played most of the year in the Under-19s Academy competition as the young Giants finished fifth in the standings and reached the Elimination Play Offs, he was also one of four players to make their Super League debuts in an away clash against Bradford Bulls and scored in the 58-6 defeat at Odsal. He was also drafted into Paul Anderson's side for the semi final clash with Warrington and was a try scorer again as that year's League Leader's fell short of a Grand Final appearance.

- To cap the year off, he was one of three Giants players included in England's Academy squad.

- 2014 saw Connor feature mainly at full back as he made seven starts, scoring five tries. His try scoring efforts came in consecutive games against Bradford, Wakefield, Hull FC and St Helens (the latter also saw Connor kick two goals in a 17-16 triumph), plus he was utilised in the backline when the Play Offs came around. He also got the opportunity to feature out on loan with Batley Bulldogs, where he scored in his sole appearance in round one against Leigh.

- He became a regular in Paul Anderson's side in 2015 as a move into the centres saw him play 17 times in the run up to a third consecutive Play Off appearance. Alongside playing twice on dual registration with Oldham in June, Connor and the Giants picked up form heading into the Super 8s competition, where he recorded two of his four tries in a 34-20 win over Hull FC.

- 2016 was Connor's last year in his first spell with Huddersfield as he played 31 games and scored 13 tries as the club survived the Qualifiers and potential relegation. In June of that year, his move to Hull FC was announced.

- A quick start to life in black and white saw Connor score on his first outing as an Airlie Bird as Hull FC edged passed Wakefield 12-8 in the opening game of the season. Over the course of the year, he only missed three league games and crucially helped the club return to the Challenge Cup Final, where he came off the bench in the 18-14 victory over Wigan. Alongside Marc Sneyd, he was allowed to develop his goal kicking that year as he slotted 33 goals alongside 11 tries.

- Having penned a three-year during 2018, Connor made 26 appearances, scoring eight tries, in a season that earned him the Players’ Player of the Year award and the Fans’ Player of the Year as Hull finished in eighth by the end of the Super 8s competition. His improved performances under Lee Radford, particularly during the middle of the season, caught Wayne Bennett's eye and an England call up came in June as England defeated New Zealand 36-18 out in Denver.

- Having impressed on his international debut with a try scoring performance, Connor was also selected for that year's Autumn International series against the Kiwis and played at centre in all three games. His try scoring capabilities and goal kicking was crucial in the first two tests as he recorded tries in two England wins and added four conversions to seal the series for Wayne Bennett's side. He started in the third and final test at Elland Road too.

- 2019 saw him retained for Bennett's Great Britain team that toured New Zealand, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. Despite missing the Tonga Invitational game, he returned to play both games against New Zealand as well as PNG.

- Back in Super League, Connor added 44 games, 10 tries and 16 goals for Hull FC during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, before having a standout campaign in 2021. Only Catalans' Josh Drinkwater (28) created more tries than Connor (22), who also scored six tries himself that year, plus he was named in the Combined Nations All Stars team that defeated England 26-24 that year.

- He closed out his Hull FC chapter at the end of the 2022 season, during which he made 22 appearances and scored six tries, before re-joining Huddersfield for a second spell at the John Smith's Stadium. Debuting against St Helens in a tight 14-12 loss, he reverted back to a half back/full back role and took over goal kicking duties as he successfully attempted 35 goals and scored two tries in defeat to Leigh.

- During a tough season on the field for the Giants, 2024 saw Connor appear 20 times in the league and twice in the Challenge Cup as the Giants reached the semi finals. A knee injury brought an early end to his season in round 23, before it was announced in October that he would be moving to AMT Headingley to join Leeds from 2025.

- In total, he has played 254 career games, scored 75 tries, kicked 212 goals and added eight drop goals to a total points tally of 732.