Hull FC were one of two Super League clubs not to have representation in this morning’s England training squad.
Toulouse Olympique probably weren’t expecting a call-up, but the Black and Whites certainly had high hopes of seeing at least one player recognised by Shaun Wane.
If previous squads were anything to go by, it would seem Josh Griffin was the most likely to be included.
The centre was part of Wane’s plans last season and was due to make his debut for his country against the Combined Nations All Stars before a ruptured Achilles ruled him out for the rest of the 2021 campaign.
Griffin is back in action now, though, and many expected the FC vice-captain to be invited to Headingley Stadium to train with the senior England squad in a couple of weeks.
However, it seems he has dropped down the pecking order during his time on the sidelines with the likes of Dan Sarginson, Reece Lyne and Jake Wardle being included ahead of the Hull man.
His omission came as a surprise to plenty of Hull fans, but it wasn’t Griffin they were talking about most as Jake Connor was overlooked once again just days after recording six assists and a try against Salford Red Devils in round three of Super League.
Connor has never been included in a Wane squad and for that reason he probably won’t have been too shocked to not see his name on the 30-man list.
The full-back has starred for England in the past with five caps yielding four tries, while he has also represented Great Britain on three occasions.
All those appearances came under Wayne Bennett, though, with his last England appearance coming in 2018 against New Zealand at Elland Road.
That’s despite Connor being shortlisted for last year’s Man of Steel award, despite him being one of the most influential players of 2021, recording 22 assists in total and contributing to 40 per cent of the FC’s tries and despite him reportedly being admired by NRL clubs.
As such, Connor and indeed the Hull fans are well within their rights to ask what exactly the full-back needs to do in order to work his way into Wane’s plans.
Wane stopped short of going into the specifics when asked about him in the hours after his squad announcement but he did claim that consistency in performance would be one way to get his attention.
The head coach insisted he is still on his radar, too, but he clearly has his doubts and concerns about the Hull man as a player and they have hampered his chances of selection so far.
Consequently, if Connor is to earn a spot in the squad for this year’s World Cup, it seems he must play himself into a position where he can simply cannot be ignored.
That means reproducing displays like Saturday's on an even more regular basis and against the biggest and best the Super League has to offer.
Of course, he does have plenty of competition for a spot with Niall Evalds, Stefan Ratchford, Zak Hardaker and Sam Tomkins all included in the squad, but if he can get the better of them on the field, he should be able to catch Wane’s eye.
He has the opportunity to do that this weekend as the Black and Whites travel to Castleford Tigers, while Hull will be taking on the likes of Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves and Catalans Dragons in the coming weeks.
Consistently perform in those high profile games this year and Connor would have shown he can do it when the stakes are high and that he can be an asset to England in this year’s World Cup.
The same can be said for Griffin and a number of other Hull players who will be dreaming of an England call-up this year.
Wane insists he is a big fan of the centre and should he be able to get back to his consistent best, he could have a role to play on the international stage this year.
FC half-back Luke Gale won’t have given up hope of earning a World Cup spot, while Brett Hodgson has tipped Jordan Lane to make his way onto the international scene in the coming years.
Wane will be watching players at every club closely over the coming months but for now it seems those at Hull have work to do to be a part of his plans.
