Here's why there are no Leeds Rhinos or Wakefield Trinity players in England's Rugby League World Cup squad

Neither Rhinos nor Grand Final winners Wakefield Trinity are represented among the 23 players chosen for the tournament in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea which begins on October 15. Scrum-half Connor was included in a 38-strong performance group announced in June, along with clubmates centre Ash Handley, second-row Kallum Watkins and prop Mikolaj Oledzki.

Speaking to the English media this morning (Monday), McDermott said: “I believe Jake has had a really good year. He had an outstanding year last year, got the Man of Steel and again has played with a leading team this year. What I’ve got is a squad full of players who I believe will best play to the game style, the attack plan or the game model we identified many weeks ago, that I think we need to do to compete with the leading nations.

“We can’t do the usual things. I’ve made this point from the day I took the job, we’ve got to play with a point of difference. I’ve got a squad of players I believe are best suited to the attack plan and the game model I think England need to play.”

Hull KR play-maker Mikey Lewis is included and McDermott added: “Current form has a bearing, of course it does. There’s another principle of how we picked the team, which is can you play under pressure? At the World Cup and internationally you don’t get any second chances, you have to deliver there and then. You can’t go back and review the game and have another go the following week.

“I’ve picked a group of players who have recent history of playing in finals, winning finals, delivering when it matters. Mikey Lewis won a World Club Challenge at the start of this year and guided his team to a Challenge Cup final. I get that he wasn’t in the best of shape towards the back end of the year and incurred a couple of bans, but again I’ll point everybody to the attack plan and game model I think England needs to have to compete with the leading nations.”

The coach stressed Connor would come into consideration if an injury meant England needed to call on a half-back from outside the squad. “Jake Connor missed out on selection by a small margin,” he stated. “It came down to something like who I think can best stick to the game plan and the attack plan.”

Handley isn’t available for the World Cup because of a back injury and Oledzki – who left Rhinos for Perth Bears at the end of the season – has been carrying a shoulder problem, but Watkins’ omission was a selection decision. McDermott explained: “[Watkins] was a tough phone call as was [Warrington hooker] Danny Walker. I know Kallum has got a ton of experience and he is probably coming towards the back end of his career, though he doesn’t look like he needs to retire right now. But I just feel, the squad we’ve got, we didn’t need him in the squad, as cold as that sounds.”

Trinity props Mike McMeeken and Caleb Hamlin-Uele, stand-off Jake Trueman and winger Tom Johnstone were in the performance squad and starred in Saturday’s Grand Final win against Warrington Wolves. McDermott admitted: “I am really disappointed and it is a real shame the Wakefield boys aren’t available.

“There’s nothing we could do or they could do. They are all booked in for operations at the end of the year. Jake Trueman in particular has had a fantastic year, Mike McMeeken has been enormous, the same with Caleb Hamlin-Uele and Tom Johnston almost dragged his team through to the Grand Final win there, didn’t he?

“Every single one of them was in among being picked, but they are all unavailable due to injury or operations. I am not going to say they would have been in, but they would have made my final selection a bit of a headache.”