Jon Wilkin names his problem with ‘centre of attention’ Jake Connor

Despite picking up the Man of the Match medal in a Huddersfield Giants win, Jake Connor has been the target of criticism from pundit Jon Wilkin.

Connor was instrumental in Huddersfield Giants getting back to winning ways as they saw off Castleford Tigers 20-12 to conclude Magic Weekend for 2024.

The full-back has been the subject of criticism previously this season from Jon Wilkin and the Sky Sports pundit took aim once again last night, not before explaining what Jake Connor must do to be successful in Super League.

Speaking post-match on Sky Sports, Wilkin explained: “Look, he’s incredibly talented, we all know he’s a precocious talent. The problem with Jake, for me, is that when you have that many tools in your tool kit, you sometimes don’t know which one to pull out.

“At any time, he can kick, pass, run, throw a huge cut-out pass, offload the ball, he’s smart so he can verbally intimidate and manipulate people, he can be smart with referees, I just think if he keeps it simple it would be great.”

Jake Connor antics called out by Jon Wilkin

Earlier in the season, Wilkin called Connor out for failing to ‘do his job’ in the loss against St Helens and Wilkin defended himself last night, claiming that he is “not anti-Jake Connor”, but simply finds him “frustrating”.

Wilkin argued: “I mean, I’m not anti-Jake Connor, but at the end of the day, I find his demeanour frustrating on the pitch. He’s a professional athlete, and I sometimes feel like he makes the game a soap opera that revolves around him.

“I’ve watched enough of his games, I’ve played against him, I’ve watched him play, to know that actually he loves being the centre of attention, which is great. But I also think if I was in a team with him, it’d drive me nuts.”

Current St Helens Women’s captain Jodie Cunningham had her say as she argued how Huddersfield Giants could best use Jake Connor going forward, claiming it all depended on interim coach Luke Robinson becoming a permanent appointment.

After Connor backed Robinson for the job, Cunningham stated: If he does get that role on a long-term basis as head coach, he might be the person to get the best out of Jake Connor.

“Jake Connor needs some stability, I think he’s an erratic player, who, like you say, likes the attention. If he can get some stability out of him, you can create some magic.”

The next opportunity we’ll get to see Jake Connor’s ‘magic’ will be on Saturday when Huddersfield Giants travel to face Salford Red Devils.