JAKE CONNOR was once the fulcrum of the Hull FC side.
Tasked by former Hull FC coaches Lee Radford, Andy Last, Brett Hodgson and Tony Smith to be the main man and run the show, Connor was arguably one of the Black and Whites’ most influential players of the Super League era.
In 142 games, Connor registered over 400 points, helping the club win the 2017 Challenge Cup.
But, after six years at the MKM Stadium, the 29-year-old maverick made the move back to Huddersfield Giants and where his career began back in 2013.
Back then, Connor made 57 appearances but left for FC in 2017. Now he has revealed why he returned to the John Smith’s ahead of the 2023 Super League season.
“It was tough to exit. I spent six long years there and I loved it. The fanbase, you feel a real connection there,” Connor told League Express.
“I started out at Huddersfield and I was only young so I didn’t feel like I had a proper shot. The chance to come back and play with Jermaine McGillvary and Leroy Cudjoe again was an opportunity I probably wouldn’t have had the year after.
“Off the back of the year they had (in 2021), everyone knows me I like to attack and seeing how when Huddersfield defended back then, they had most of the ball and I wanted a bit of that.
“But, last year wasn’t great and we didn’t defend how we should have so we didn’t see much of the ball.
“Hopefully our transitions will be a lot better this year out of defence to restrict teams out of yardage. That means we can play the ball more and get back to what we do best.”
For 2024, the Giants have brought in Adam Clune (Newcastle Knights), Thomas Deakin (Sydney Roosters), Jack Murchie (Parramatta Eels), Hugo Salabio (Wakefield Trinity), Andre Savelio (Hull FC), Adam Swift (Hull FC) and Elliot Wallis (Castleford Tigers).
Click here to purchase a digital edition of League Express.
Click here to purchase an online edition of League Express through pocketmags.com.
Click here to listen to our new League Express Podcast.
League Express is widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
