Jack Ormondroyd looks back on his time at Leeds Rhinos largely with disappointment, but the Salford Red Devils prop returns to Headingley today enjoying the best season of his career. The imposing Bradfordian, whose father Ian played for Bradford City, Aston Villa, Derby and Leicester, has been a key figure in Salford’s dramatic rise under Paul Rowley this year.
The Red Devils thumped champions St Helens 44-12 last Sunday – their fifth win in six games – and victory over a Leeds side who lie one point below them would be another step towards the play-offs. Ormondroyd, 30, joined the Rhinos from Featherstone Rovers in 2017 but struggled for regular game-time and rejoined Featherstone in 2019 before signing for Salford ahead of the 2020 campaign.
He told Leeds Live: “How would I describe my time at Leeds? Disappointing really. I’d only had one full year at Featherstone and I didn’t have the experience, so it was probably a bit too early for me.
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“If I made the move now, I think it’d be completely different. I started pre-season training and all the big names were there – Rob Burrow, Danny McGuire and Kallum Watkins. It sounds stupid, but I was starstruck. I had watched them on the telly growing up and there I was playing with them.”
It was a difficult time for Leeds during a period of transition but Ormondroyd added: “I’m glad I went there because I played in the 2018 World Club Challenge in Melbourne and was part of the 2017 Grand Final-winning squad, even though I didn’t play.
“Some of the experiences I had were brilliant but I didn’t play half as much as I wanted to, so it probably didn’t do my career any good. I was in and out of the team – I’d play one game for Leeds when they were short, then miss two weeks and go back to Featherstone on loan. There was no consistency and it’s hard when you’re on the outside looking in.”
Ian Watson signed Ormondroyd ahead of the 2020 campaign and he became a regular under Richard Marshall last year, while this season his game has reached new heights. The 6ft 5in forward has scored three tries in 18 Super League appearances, including a matchwinning double in last month’s stunning comeback win at Warrington Wolves.
“I didn’t really play under Ian Watson in the first half of that first season,” Ormondroyd recalled. “I actually thought ‘this level might not be for me, I’m probably a Championship player’. But then Rich Marshall gave me a chance and there were a few injuries plus Covid, so I probably got more opportunities than I would have done.
“This season has been brilliant and consistency is massive for me, as is confidence. Rowls is starting me every week, which has given me a lot of self-belief. I think it has shown in my performances and this is probably is the best season of my career.”
Rowley has taken unwanted and inexpensive players and blended them into a well-organised, highly-motivated force. The head coach reckons Salford operate with the lowest spend in Super League and his men have revelled in being written off.
Pundit Jon Wilkin recently claimed Salford are “flimsy” and lacking in backbone and minerals. Ormondroyd revealed: “In pre-season we talked about how everybody thought we were cast-offs from other clubs. Rowls didn’t like that tag and said that we were all good players in our own right.
“Beating Saints so comprehensively last weekend wasn’t as much of a shock to us as it was to other people. We had spoken beforehand about us having the confidence that we could get the win. I think it showed during the game.”
Overcoming a resurgent Leeds side would be some statement of intent and Ormondroyd – one of seven West Yorkshire-based players who commute together to Salford – is not short of motivation against his old club.
He is also keen to do his old man proud, adding: “Playing Leeds at Headingley is always something I look forward to more than any other game and this weekend is certainly massive for both teams.
“My dad understands the pressures of being a professional sportsman as he’s been there and done it himself. When I was at Leeds and not really playing, I wasn’t disappointing him but deep down I wanted to be playing every week. I’m doing that now and I’m doing alright, so it’s good to show my dad that I can do it at Super League level. I feel like I’m making him, my missus Sophie and the rest of my family proud.”
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