LEEDS RHINOS coach Lois Forsell has heaped praise on Connie Boyd after the teenage centre made a strong start to the season.
Having been elevated to the first-team squad ahead of the 2025 campaign, Boyd went on to make 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring two tries.
So far this season, she has been an ever-present, scoring eight tries in six games – including four in the last outing against Featherstone.
“Connie is physical and has been really good in the centre role so far,” said Forsell of the 19-year-old.
“She knows there are little bits she needs to fix up, but what we’ve really liked about her so far is her physicality.
“The exciting thing is that she is still learning how to use that sometimes and understanding how her strength is one of her powers and something she uses really well.
“She’s going well, she’s fronting up and she’s doing loads of really good stuff. She’s got the power, but she’s got the skill as well, so if there’s an opportunity to find that pass to her winger, she’ll do that, which is good to see.”
Ruby Walker also came in for a special mention from Forsell after the Featherstone victory, having switched for her usual halfback position to partner Boyd in the centres.
“We have a few halfbacks challenging for those positions and Ruby was great in terms of putting the team first against Featherstone,” added Forsell.
“We had a lack of availability in the centres so we asked Ruby to go there and keep us steady, and she really did that well. She took a knock early on, but she was hungry to keep going and carry on, which was great.”