'A bigger part of the team': Leeds Rhinos' Jarrod O'Connor reflects on breakthrough year

The 21-year-old loose-forward or hooker has missed only six of Rhinos’ 28 competitive games in 2022 and last week’s win over Castleford Tigers, which clinched fifth place in Betfred Super League, was his 19th successive appearance.

Those are impressive statistics for a player who was expected to spend much of this season on loan at Championship outfit Bradford Bulls.

O’Connor played four times in 2020 and added a dozen appearances last term, but feels this has been a breakthrough year - and the best could still lie ahead.

If selected, Friday’s elimination tie at Catalans Dragons will be O’Connor’s first play-off and he feels he has come a long way since pre-season training began last November.

“I feel like I am a bigger part in the team,” he said.

“The more I am playing, the more confident I am going to get.

“The faith Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ coach] has shown in me is only benefiting me.

“I am really excited [about the play-offs].

“Everyone wants to be in the play-offs and you’re just desperate to get the win.

“That’s all it’s about this week.”

The young forward reckons Rhinos will need to play better than they did against Castleford.

It was their third last-gasp win in seven matches and O’Connor said: “We are kind of getting used to winning those ugly games.

“I think going into the play-offs we’ve got to pick it up a bit and play a bit better, instead of relying on dodgy wins.

“But we are happy to get in the play-offs because we know we can beat anyone. As soon as we get into semi-finals or finals, we’d back ourselves against anyone at the minute.”

Friday will be Rhinos’ fourth trip to France in less than two months.

They lost 20-6 at Toulouse Olympique on July 16 and won 36-32 away to Catalans exactly two weeks later, having hit back from 32-6 down to take the game into extra-time.

The play-off tie comes 11 days after a 32-18 defeat at Stade Gilbert Brutus, which ended a six-match winning run.

“Last time we went to Catalans we were a bit off, but we’ll have some players back this week and I think we can get a win,” O’Connor said.

“I think it probably benefits us a bit, having been to France three times already.

“I think that gets us used to what we are going to do to prepare.

“I think it will be a tough game, but I am sure we’ll get it done.”

Rhinos won the title from fifth place on the table in 2011 and 2012.

The triumph 10 years ago came after a 27-20 win at Catalans, who had finished fourth, in an elimination play-off.

Zak Hardaker, who rejoined the club midway through this season, is the only member of that team still playing for Rhinos and Catalans will be even stronger favourites this time.

“We are probably going to be the underdogs, but I think we expect to win,” O’Connor stated.

“We know what we can do and the players we’ve got.

“I think, showing the form we’ve been in recently, we definitely all believe we can do it.”

O’Connor wasn’t on the field when Rhinos hit back from 8-0 down inside the last eight minutes to beat Castleford 14-8 last Saturday.

But he insisted: “Every game is the same, we always back ourselves. We know we can score points.

“Even sitting on the bench, we knew we were going to score; we knew as soon as we got one, we’d win it.

“It was a good decision by the coaching staff [to kick a penalty goal at 8-0] and that got us on a roll. Everyone ramped up because we knew we were back in it.”