LEEDS RHINOS hooker Jarrod O’Connor has signed a new two-year deal with the Super League club.
That deal will keep the 24-year-old, who was Super League’s top tackler last season, at Headingley until at least the end of the 2028 campaign.
O’Connor has been awarded the number nine squad number for this season having started 22 of his 27 appearances as the Rhinos first choice hooker last season.
O’Connor made his Rhinos debut in 2020 and has become a mainstay of the squad in recent years, making 124 appearances in five seasons, scoring six tries and two goals as well as playing in the 2022 Grand Final at Old Trafford.
Commenting on the new deal, O’Connor said: “I am incredibly proud to play for the Rhinos and I am excited about the future for this group of players.
“It is great to get the deal agreed before the season gets started and I am grateful to Ian Blease (sporting director) and Brad Arthur (head coach) for the faith they have shown in me.
“We have got tremendous competition within our squad this season and that will only bring out the best in everyone, in training and games.”
Brad Arthur also hailed O’Connor: “Jarrod thoroughly deserves this new deal. He is a natural competitor who always strives to be better, which is a great attitude to have.
“He is a good example to our younger players, especially the versatility he has shown in adapting to becoming an established hooker in Super League but he can also perform other roles for us too.”