Reigning Man of Steel Jake Connor is ‘absolutely’ in England coach Brian McDermott‘s plans with previous treatment of the Leeds Rhinos man slammed.
Connor was infamously snubbed by previous England head coach Shaun Wane with Wane querying the importance of the Man of Steel competition as he reasoned why the Leeds Rhinos man had been left out.
That was a hugely controversial decision backed up by those perhaps even more controversial comments and it was clear that whoever was appointed England head coach would be asked about Jake Connor, and whether he was in their plans going forward.
“Yeah, he is (in my plans), for sure. Absolutely,” McDermott responded when addressing media shortly after his confirmation as England head coach.
McDermott addressed what he believed was a ‘rhetoric’ around Jake Connor more so as a person as opposed to a player, something he explained that he does not care for with his talent on field all that matters.
The new England boss said: “I think the rhetoric and the narrative around Jake was tremendously unfair. You’ll understand this, but I understand where Jake Connor comes from in that he’s liked by some and disliked by others. That comes with the nature of the game.
“We could sit around a table and debate whether he’s a nice person or not. I just don’t think that’s a fair narrative to be made public. That was the rhetoric around him.
“What nobody can argue is that he’s a tremendous player. He’s a fantastic player. He’s a game-breaker.”
Connor will be one of several half-backs vying to be selected by McDermott for the upcoming World Cup with Shaun Wane’s Ashes squad only carrying three outright halves in captain George Williams, 2024 Man of Steel Mikey Lewis and Wigan playmaker Harry Smith.
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