A number of years ago, Connor Wynne was a rising star at Hull FC, breaking into the first-team under Lee Radford and then Andy Last.
However, with the appointment of Brett Hodgson as head coach, Wynne found himself on the periphery – something which continued under Tony Smith in 2023.
That left the outside back looking elsewhere for a deal, joining Bradford Bulls on loan until the end of the 2023 season.
A deal wasn’t signed at Odsal for 2024 and Wynne’s exit from Hull was confirmed before the 22-year-old signed for Featherstone Rovers. So what went wrong at FC?
“I’ll keep a few opinions to myself but it’s just one of those things,” Wynne told League Express.
“If your face doesn’t fit with the coach then that’s the way it goes, but I’ll keep a few opinions to myself.
“I’ve put that in the past now and I’m building myself back up at Fev. Obviously the goal is to always go back to the top and hopefully I can do that with Fev or hopefully I can push myself back up there if not.”
Wynne’s first appearance in Featherstone colours came in a 16-12 win over the Bradford Bulls at The Millennium Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
And for the 22-year-old, there were plenty of positives as he aims for the top four with Rovers.
“The first game is always tough, you are doing fitness work in training but putting it into a game is totally different.
“You’ve got to have your lungs match fit and I thought the boys did well, it was a good first hit-out. There is always stuff to learn and there is a lot to learn there but there are a lot of positives as well.
“We are always aiming for top four, that is the aim. Obviously the club has won the league the past few years and I think the boys’ aim is to get that top four.
“If we keep getting those efforts like that out there, I think we should get it. We’ve got a few more players to come back, we had a few trialists in there but we’ve got a few main players to return.”
So why did Wynne join Featherstone? And what separates his new head coach James Ford from others he has worked under?
“I spoke with Fordy (head coach James Ford), I was on holiday, he gave me a call and said he was interested in signing me. I got back and went and met him.
“He sold me the dream pretty much, I knew a few of the boys already and spoke with them. The last few years with how well they have done was a big win for me to put my signature on the paper.
“Me and Fordy, we’ve got quite a good bond to be fair. He is a coach in serious moments but when you have those little moments when you aren’t training, he’s like a mate really.
“You can always speak to him about anything and I think that is a good thing. He understands his players and he has the players’ backs.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’ll tell if you’ve done wrong! But he will tell you if you’ve done well too. You need to be told what you’ve done wrong to put it right but I’ve got a great bond with him.”
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