JAKE Connor revealed fear of Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur may well have scared him to his Man of Steel-winning season in 2025.
The 31-year-old flourished for Leeds under the Australian after joining from Huddersfield Giants, helping them reach the Super League play-offs by finishing fourth.
Connor’s displays throughout the year earned him the competition’s highest individual accolade too, in part motivated by a desire not to disappoint former Parramatta Eels boss Arthur.
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“I don’t know if I was scared of him,” Connor told Sky Sports’ The Bench podcast.
“Some coaches, you just have that feeling where you don’t want to go in the video room after to be shown up.”
Obviously, there is far more to Arthur’s technique than simply frightening his players into doing what he wants though.
The 51-year-old’s influence on Connor has included helping him become better at dealing with different situations on the field.
“It’s probably just my reaction to stuff more than pressure,” Connor said.
“It’s probably reacting to stuff I shouldn’t have, so that’s one thing I’ve learnt – to pick my moments when I want to be like that or be like that.
“That’s something Brad has coached out of me, which has helped.”
Connor insists he is a far more relaxed, quieter person off the field than he is on it as well.
Indeed, he believes a happy home life is key to success in the sporting arena.
“You can’t be the same person on and off the field,” Connor said. “I feel like it’s [the same with] most sportsmen, they’re more relaxed off the field.
“It’s just like chilling out, doing things away [from sport], taking your mind off things playing other different sports like golf, and spending more time with family and friends.
“You’ve got to switch that mode, really, I think – and it plays a massive factor if you’re happy at home.
“You play happier at work…so I think most successful sportsmen have got the best life away from rugby.”
