Super League: Jack Logan praised by Lee Radford after try double
Last Updated: 13/09/14 7:53am
Hull FC head coach Lee Radford hailed teenager Jack Logan after his two tries completed a stunning comeback which inflicted a fifth straight Super League defeat on Leeds Rhinos.
The Rhinos were all set for a morale-boosting win heading into the play-offs after opening up a 19-4 lead just before the hour mark but the Black and Whites had other ideas as they stormed back to win 24-19.
Former Leeds back-rower Gareth Ellis set the fightback in motion with a try and an offload for Fetuli Talanoa to score.
A converted Logan effort reduced the deficit to one point before the 19-year-old centre slid over in the corner five minutes from time to the delight of the majority of supporters inside the KC Stadium.
The win gave long-serving half-back Richard Horne, making his 387th and final appearance for the Airlie Birds, and Aaron Heremaia the perfect send-off in the final game of the regular season.
"It is nice for them to go away - on a small high, but a high at least," said Radford.
"I'll use Jack Logan as an example in the changing room. We gave him his debut at Wigan; to say he found it difficult would be an understatement.
"He's gone away, knuckled down and played last week against Huddersfield and performed. Tonight I thought he showed real finesse and looks like he's come back a better player for it.
"Physically we've got to get him right but he's going to be a player."
On Horne, Radford added: "We tried to get him off two or three times in the last five minutes with cramp setting in, but as he's done on a couple of occasions he refused to and knuckled down.
"The result was important to send everybody home with a smile on their faces and that's been achieved tonight."
Collapse
Brian McDermott was at a loss to explain his side's collapse, one which leaves him with a big job ahead of next Saturday's elimination play-off at home to Catalan Dragons.
"We were in control of the game, absolutely, then we weren't, so no (I don't have an explanation for the collapse)," he said.
Carl Ablett's try just before the break cancelled out Tom Lineham's 14th-minute score before efforts from Danny McGuire and Ryan Hall put Leeds in control at the start of the second half.
But the Challenge Cup winners were unable to halt Hull's momentum after Ellis' try as a match which had an end-of-season feel in the first half turned into a rip-roaring affair.
McDermott added: "We clearly dropped off too many tackles and just became flimsy defensively.
"You give Hull some credit for that but at the same time even Lee Radford would say we dropped off a few tackles and it wasn't through them playing better or doing anything different.
"We have to deal with it (the defeat). It's not great. I'm not going to dismiss it, it's not what we wanted.
"It all starts next Saturday."
