Long Read Interview: Jarrod O’Connor

The fact Leeds are playing in a Grand Final on Saturday is a huge achievement.

The Rhinos were second bottom in April and only had one win to their name. Going into their game against Toulouse, which was a typical basement battle, they knew defeat would see them slip to the bottom of the league.

However, since Rohan Smith has taken over, the Rhinos have been amazing. Smith has only lost five games in total and guided Leeds to the play-offs which at one stage seemed very unlikely whilst a Grand Final appearance seemed impossible.

Yet, the new boss Smith has delivered it with 13 wins since he’s taken over and one more win would deliver the Super League title in an amazing turnaround.

For one Leeds player, the impact of Smith has been “huge.” That man is semi-final Man of the Match and try scorer Jarrod O’Connor.

O’Connor is very much a microcosm of Leeds’ season. Many believed he would be a bit part player at the start of the year and no where near a Grand Final, however he is now a key player at Leeds as their first choice number nine despite the presence of Kruise Leeming and Brad Dwyer.

He has developed into a superb player and is a nightmare for any attack in defence. He is the player who embodies the Rohan Smith revolution in 2022 and he spoke to Serious About Rugby League about the impact Smith has had on him going from an option at loose-forward to a starting hooker.

“Rohan has had a huge impact on me individually,” O’Connor said, “The faith he’s shown in me and allowed me to play every week has helped my development a lot. He’s given tips each week on how to improve and makes sure I prepare the same every game.

“Giving me a chance to play another position has been a big thing I appreciate as well because he has noticed that I could add another part to my game which will only help me get in the team even more. But overall I think he’s just giving me all the tools I’ve needed to improve and helped me lots this year come on as an every week super league player.”

Smith certainly has had a huge impact at Leeds, but what about his predecessor. It’s easy to forget that many of the players in this Leeds squad were brought through by Richard Agar who stopped Leeds’ slide in 2019 and led them to a Challenge Cup.

Yes the start of the season was poor from Agar’s side, but he had put the foundations in place for Leeds to kick on under someone else. Agar should be credited for having the humility to step aside when it was time.

O’Connor echoes these cements praises Agar for an “outstanding” job.

“Yeah I think the job Rich Agar did when he come in to the job was outstanding,” O’Connor said, “I think the team just needed to have a reset and start again and I think Rich did that by bringing the whole squad closer together and started to bring a new generation of players through that we are starting to see now. I think he got us back on track and steadied the ship at Leeds.”

It has been an amazing journey from where Agar left them to where Smith has O’Connor and his teammates now and now they’re set to play in a Grand Final and O’Connor is so close to a dream come true: “To lift the trophy on Saturday would be everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Obviously I think every young player just dreams of winning the grand final at old Trafford in front of 70,000 fans.

“To think I’m going to get the chance to play in that game is surreal to me. I don’t feel like it’s real but I’m just going to get on with the preparation as I have all year and just enjoy the week. I know it can be a long time between finals and just want to go about it how I usually would and get the job done!”

It could be even more special for O’Connor whose dad former Wigan forward and current Sky Sports commentator Terry is delivering the trophy to the ground. Maybe Jarrod will leave with it.

Should he play in Saturday’s Grand Final, which he almost certainly will, O’Connor will make his 22nd consecutive appearance which is just as much as a surprise for O’Connor as it is the fact he won a semi-final last weekend.

“No I didn’t imagine I’d be playing every week either to be fair never mind playing in a semi-final,” O’Connor told Serious About Rugby League. “This year has been a rollercoaster but has been really enjoyable along the way and I’m just taking each week as it comes.”

Of course plenty of those 22 consecutive appearances have come at hooker which is not O’Connor’s natural position but is a role that has suited him to a tee in 2022 – giving Leeds great physicality in the middle defensively which has seen star hookers Kruise Leeming and Brad Dwyer kept out of the starting 13,

“I’m not sure where I see myself to be honest, I’m obviously used to playing loose forward but I am really enjoying playing hooker at the minute,” O’Connor said, “I like switching between 9 and 13 in the game which allows me to play bigger minutes, which is what I want to do. The more I’m playing hooker the more I feel I’m learning.”

O’Connor did reveal that the other number nines at Leeds have been really helpful in helping him develop in the role – explaining a special gesture from club captain Leeming.

“Kruise Leeming, Brad Dwyer and Corey Johnson have all been outstanding with me. I couldn’t of asked for more off them all giving me little tips on what to look for and how to get better.

“Kruise even sat me down and did video analysis with me which he didn’t have to do but did off his own back which I really appreciate, and I think it shows why he’s captain because he’s a true leader.

“We have never spoke about whose playing and not to each other, but I think how we all support each other shows how close the team is.

“No matter who is playing and not, we all want each other to do well and I think it shows how far we’ve come as a team and is why we are winning bigger games because we are pushing each other to be better and improve each week.”

It’s likely that O’Connor will again start at hooker on Saturday with Leeming on the bench, and if O’Connor can continue his great form which saw him pick up the Man of the Match against Wigan, as well as a first try, it will go a long way to helping Leeds to a ninth Super League title.

Speaking on that win against Wigan in more detail, he explained what it was like in those moments when Leeds were clinging on at the end of the game: “When we did all the defending against Wigan I think we just knew that we could do it. We had the self belief because we have proven we can do it before.

“We are always calm and confident in our ability and I think the longer we defend our line as well as we did the more confident we grow in the game because we know we can score points.”

That has left Leeds with a real shot at glory against St Helens, but what would it mean to O’Connor to lift that trophy not only after the journey his team has been on but the journey he himself has taken to get here, becoming Leeds’ starting hooker, despite being a loose-forward by trade.

“To lift the trophy on Saturday would be everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” O’Connor said, “Obviously I think every young player just dreams of winning the grand final at old Trafford in front of 70,000 fans. To think I’m going to get the chance to play in that game is surreal to me.

“I don’t feel like it’s real but I’m just going to get on with the preparation as I have all year and just enjoy the week. I know it can be a long time between finals and just want to go about it how I usually would and get the job done!”