Brodie Croft described how the spirit of Rob Burrow helped sweep Leeds to a stirring 18-10 Betfred Super League win over Leigh on a night when Headingley paid a fitting tribute to their talismanic former scrum-half.
Croft summoned two solo tries of which Burrow – who died earlier this month following a four-and-a-half-year battle with motor neurone disease – would have been proud before the Rhinos held on after late responses from Matt Moylan and Edwin Ipape.
The Australian, who blazed 80 metres for his second on the half-hour, said: “It honestly felt like an out-of-body experience. I’ve never even scored a try from that far out, and it felt like there was someone else with me on it.”
Croft struggled to contain his emotions as he described how Burrow’s legacy inspired an injury-ravaged team that parted company with head coach Rohan Smith after last week’s loss at Hull FC to summon arguably their best performance of the season.
“This was a big one not just for the club, but Rob and his family and the MND community, and I think the boys showed that tonight, particularly some of our younger boys,” added Croft.
“I followed Super League as a kid, Leeds were the big team and Rob was one of the key players. There is a lot of connection there, on top of being a dad myself, and seeing his family there, I knew this was going to be a big occasion and we just wanted to do our absolute best.”
Over 80 former players gathered to pay tribute to Burrow before the match and they included his former team-mate Chev Walker, who stepped up to joint interim charge of the Rhinos in the wake of Smith’s departure.
Walker described a performance “in the spirit of Rob”, adding: “We spoke about it a couple of times since Rob passed, about being brave and courageous and standing up for our team-mates. That’s all we asked and they delivered 100 per cent on that.
“It’s been emotional for everybody. He’s touched so many people all the way through this fight and the spirit of him was just there tonight.
“On a personal level it’s been difficult, but on a professional level we have to come to work. It’s more relief than anything. We were desperate to get that win for Rob and his family.”
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam admitted the evening was all about Burrow, and joined Croft in suggesting the hosts had had some external assistance in fashioning a much-needed win.
“I’m pleased for Leeds because it was a special night for the club,” said Lam, whose side left their revival too late as they failed to replicate the intensity of last week’s excellent 10-2 win over Catalans Dragons in the south of France.
“I thought it was the best they (Leeds) played in a couple of years. It looked like they had a little bit of extra help from above with those try-saving tackles.
“As a club we were grateful that we were here and we played a small part as well. I thought it was a great experience to be a part of. I haven’t seen it for a long time – it was a really special night for rugby league.”
Despite a series of chances, Lam conceded his side had been off the pace in the first period but saw some positives in the way they hit back and believes they are still very much in the mix to repeat last season’s march to the post-season play-offs.
“We’ve been on a long run of away games and we’ve got a lot of home games in the second half of the season, so there is still some hope there for us,” added Lam.
“With players coming back we’ll get a chance to play a full squad, so we’re staying positive.”
