Leeds Rhinos ace Jake Connor's 'how good we've been' reminder as season rests on Warrington Wolves semi-final

Rhinos led Betfred Super League for much of the season, but three defeats from their last five matches cost them the league leaders’ shield. Second spot, however, was enough to secure a bye through the opening round of play-offs and home advantage in Friday’s last-four clash with Warrington Wolves.

Warrington have won eight of their last nine games and will go into this week’s showdown with the momentum behind them, but Connor insisted: “There’s only one team in the same position as us - with a home semi-final - and that’s Wigan. I think it is important we reflect on how good we have been this season and the good stuff we’ve done.”

The former Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants man admitted: “We haven’t been good the last three weeks and we know that. Losing Lachie [Miller] hasn’t helped, but we earned the right to have a week off [last week] and build combinations on our edges.

“Last week was Makia’s [Sivo] first game back. We had Jack Bird on the left-side, Ash [Handley] at full-back - we’ve had a chance to work on those and hopefully we’ll take it into the semi-final.”

There is annual debate over whether having a week off at the start of the play-offs is a good thing, but Connor stressed: “It is hard playing at this intensity for 27 rounds and expecting to be perfect. We have been pipped right at the end, but Wigan have had their losses during the year. Our’s have just come at once at the back end.

“We have put ourselves in a good position and it would be sad to see that lost. The boys know the position we are in, we are one game away from Old Trafford so we need a performance of a lifetime in the semi to get us there and we are very capable of it.

“We have shown in glimpses what we can do this year and I think we don’t have to change much. We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing all year - everyone doing what they’ve been doing individually and I believe we can do it.”

Connor admitted it would be “massive” for Rhinos to get back to Old Trafford, where they haven’t played since 2022 and last won nine years ago. “I’ve never played there in my career,” he said.

“I used to watch Leeds back in the day making all those Grand Finals so it would be nice to get them back there. But we don’t want to focus too far ahead, we remember last year so we’ve just got to go out there and put it right.”

Rhinos suffered heartbreak 12 months ago when St Helens scored a try after the final hooter to beat them in an elimination play-off at AMT Headingley. “It’s not in the back of everyone’s minds, but I think it’s something we need to learn from,” Connor added

“Hull KR have done it on their way up, they’ve probably had games they had to learn from and we have to do the same. The last three weeks will be forgotten about if we can win the semi-final and final.”