In the first home game since Burrow's death, Croft scored two first-half tries in an inspired performance, the second a lung-busting 80-metre effort. "It honestly felt like an out-of-body experience," said an emotional Croft. "I've never even scored a try from that far out.
It felt like there was someone else with me on it." Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. An understrength Leeds rose to the occasion on a night of celebration and sadness to breathe life into their season in the first game since the departure of head coach Rohan Smith.
With Burrow's family and 80 of his former team-mates in attendance at a packed Headingley, the Rhinos surged into an 18-0 lead before holding off a late fightback by Leigh to see out a vital victory in the race for the play-offs. A feature of their best performance of the year was their desperation in defence. "This was a big one not just for the club but Rob, his family and the MND community, and I think the boys showed that, particularly some of our younger boys," added Croft.
Advertisement Advertisement "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 be.
