Leeds Rhinos' first game ahead of the 2025 season saw them defeat Wakefield Trinity 18-16. George Brown's late try and Jake Sinfield's conversion saw them squeeze home after Wakefield had launched a comeback in the second half, following Jake Connor's first-half brace. Here are three players who caught the eye.

Jake Connor
It is one of the fascinating transfers of recent years but if this is anything to go by, Leeds might have pulled off a masterstroke. Connor, by nature, is a divisive character. He's the pantomime villain, a love-to-hate character. No fanbase knows that better than the one he is now playing for.

But if there are sections of the Headingley crowd still uneasy about cheering for a player they have so frequently jeered, you imagine they will come around soon if he continues to play like this. 16 minutes into his debut, he had two tries and two goals to his name, carving open the Wakefield defence twice while making it look all quite easy.

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In the absence of Lachie Miller and Alfie Edgell he played fullback in this outing. Who knows where he will play come round one but if this showing is anything to go by, there's no doubt there will be a place fo him in the team. Defensively he was safe at the back under some testing kicks and with the ball in hand, well, we all know he's one of the best in the competition. That was clear here.

Mikolaj Oledzki
Maybe it's unfair expectations, maybe it's under apprecitation, but it does feel like Mikolaj Oledzki goes under the radar at times. He was getting through a lot of a work at the end of last season and was starting to show he was back at his very best.

This was another positive outing, particularly during a first stint in which he dominated his Wakefield counterparts. Oledzki always gets through a lot of work but it was the quality of it that stood out here. His carries were full of intent, and he regularly made good metres and quick play the balls. His leg drive was excellent and defensively, he was strong and aggressive.

It was a very good performance from Oledzki who looks fitter than he has in a long time.

Keenan Palasia
If you like bone-crunching tackles, may I recommend you familiarise yourself with this guy. One of Leeds Rhinos new boys caught the eye here with two particular moments in which he crunched his opponents. Either side of half-time, Palasia produced thunderous tackles that got Leeds supporters off their feet.

Beyond that, Palasia's defensive work was tremendous. His first contact was really strong, and his wrestle was impressive, winning his rucks and managing the ruck well for his team. Where a player like Sam Lisone catches the eye for his huge carries, Palasia, on first viewing anyway, appears to be the perfect balance to that, with a focus on the defensive side of the game.

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