diff --git a/src/server/src/main/java/io/cassandrareaper/jmx/JmxConnectionFactory.java b/src/server/src/main/java/io/cassandrareaper/jmx/JmxConnectionFactory.java
index 4bc6874f1..727526ec7 100644
--- a/src/server/src/main/java/io/cassandrareaper/jmx/JmxConnectionFactory.java
+++ b/src/server/src/main/java/io/cassandrareaper/jmx/JmxConnectionFactory.java
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
@@ -32,6 +31,7 @@
 import com.datastax.driver.core.policies.EC2MultiRegionAddressTranslator;
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.common.base.Optional;
+import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ public JmxConnectionFactory(MetricRegistry metricRegistry) {
 
   public JmxProxy connect(Optional<RepairStatusHandler> handler, String host, int connectionTimeout)
       throws ReaperException {
+
     // use configured jmx port for host if provided
     if (localMode) {
       host = "127.0.0.1";
@@ -74,7 +75,14 @@ public JmxProxy connect(Optional<RepairStatusHandler> handler, String host, int
       username = jmxAuth.getUsername();
       password = jmxAuth.getPassword();
     }
-    return JmxProxyImpl.connect(handler, host, username, password, addressTranslator, connectionTimeout);
+    try {
+      JmxProxy jmxProxy = JmxProxyImpl.connect(handler, host, username, password, addressTranslator, connectionTimeout);
+      hostConnectionCounters.incrementSuccessfulConnections(host);
+      return jmxProxy;
+    } catch (ReaperException | RuntimeException e) {
+      hostConnectionCounters.decrementSuccessfulConnections(host);
+      throw e;
+    }
   }
 
   public final JmxProxy connect(String host, int connectionTimeout) throws ReaperException {
@@ -86,31 +94,24 @@ public final JmxProxy connectAny(
       Collection<String> hosts,
       int connectionTimeout) throws ReaperException {
 
-    if (hosts == null || hosts.isEmpty()) {
-      throw new ReaperException("no hosts given for connectAny");
-    }
+    Preconditions.checkArgument(null != hosts && !hosts.isEmpty(), "no hosts provided to connectAny");
+
     List<String> hostList = new ArrayList<>(hosts);
     Collections.shuffle(hostList);
-    Iterator<String> hostIterator = hostList.iterator();
 
     for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
-      while (hostIterator.hasNext()) {
-        String host = hostIterator.next();
-
+      for (String host : hostList) {
+        assert null != host; // @todo remove the null check in the following if condition
         // First loop, we try the most accessible nodes, then second loop we try all nodes
         if (null != host && (hostConnectionCounters.getSuccessfulConnections(host) >= 0 || 1 == i)) {
           try {
-            JmxProxy jmxProxy = connect(handler, host, connectionTimeout);
-            hostConnectionCounters.incrementSuccessfulConnections(host);
-            return jmxProxy;
+            return connect(handler, host, connectionTimeout);
           } catch (ReaperException | RuntimeException e) {
-            hostConnectionCounters.decrementSuccessfulConnections(host);
             LOG.info("Unreachable host", e);
           }
         }
       }
     }
-
     throw new ReaperException("no host could be reached through JMX");
   }
 
@@ -152,15 +153,15 @@ void incrementSuccessfulConnections(String host) {
         AtomicInteger successes = successfulConnections.putIfAbsent(host, new AtomicInteger(1));
         if (null != successes && successes.get() <= 20) {
           successes.incrementAndGet();
+          if (null != metricRegistry) {
+            metricRegistry
+                .counter(
+                    MetricRegistry.name(
+                        JmxConnectionFactory.class, "connections-health", host.replace('.', '-')))
+                .inc();
+          }
         }
         LOG.debug("Host {} has {} successfull connections", host, successes);
-        if (null != metricRegistry) {
-          metricRegistry
-              .counter(
-                  MetricRegistry.name(
-                      JmxConnectionFactory.class, "connections", host.replace('.', '-')))
-              .inc();
-        }
       } catch (RuntimeException e) {
         LOG.warn("Could not increment JMX successfull connections counter for host {}", host, e);
       }
@@ -171,15 +172,15 @@ void decrementSuccessfulConnections(String host) {
         AtomicInteger successes = successfulConnections.putIfAbsent(host, new AtomicInteger(-1));
         if (null != successes && successes.get() >= -5) {
           successes.decrementAndGet();
+          if (null != metricRegistry) {
+            metricRegistry
+                .counter(
+                    MetricRegistry.name(
+                        JmxConnectionFactory.class, "connections-health", host.replace('.', '-')))
+                .dec();
+          }
         }
         LOG.debug("Host {} has {} successfull connections", host, successes);
-        if (null != metricRegistry) {
-          metricRegistry
-              .counter(
-                  MetricRegistry.name(
-                      JmxConnectionFactory.class, "connections", host.replace('.', '-')))
-              .dec();
-        }
       } catch (RuntimeException e) {
         LOG.warn("Could not decrement JMX successfull connections counter for host {}", host, e);
       }