Leeds Head Coach Brad Arthur praises patience of hat-trick hero Alfie Edgell
The 20-year-old has had to bide his time this season after fighting back from a pair of injury setbacks
Leeds head coach Brad Arthur paid tribute to hat-trick hero Alfie Edgell after his side shrugged off a sticky first half to ease to a 42-6 win over crisis club Salford at Headingley.
Edgell scored two early tries as the Rhinos reached the interval with a far from convincing four-point lead before turning on the style as Paul Rowley's men began to fade.
The 20-year-old has had to bide his time this season after fighting back from a pair of injury setbacks, and Arthur picked out the winger for showing the tenacity required at the top level.
"He had a really good pre-season then broke his jaw in training and that set him back months, and then he had a shoulder injury," recalled Arthur, who started the season by favouring his fellow winger Riley Lumb.
"But he's a good, tough kid, he persisted and when he got the opportunity he was ready for it. He didn't whinge or moan about missing out, he stayed patient and he knew an opportunity would come for him."
Ultimately Leeds proved too strong for a Salford side whose admirable resistance fell away in the wake of a second-half sin-bin for Matthew Foster, but Arthur admitted his side's play-off prospects could hinge on making things simpler.
"We scored some really good tries, but I'd like us to get to the stage where we're comfortable enough to score some crappy ones," added Arthur.
"Credit to the guys who've got the skill and belief to back themselves. I had to give them a bit of a rocket at half-time for 30 seconds, but I'm really proud they know what our standards and expectations are and they went out to deliver that in the second half."
Salford head coach Paul Rowley paid tribute to his players' performance after a "disruptive" week, amid reports that some of the club's senior players had threatened to go on strike over the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the club's financial future.
Without dismissing it directly, Rowley reiterated his stance that he no direct knowledge of the threat, but conceded that the ongoing situation, which resulted in RFL officials visiting the club on Wednesday at the request of the players, had hindered preparations.
"If I'm being honest with you we've had a tough week, but one thing I've found that is consistent with this group is their effort and character - it's been unquestionable," said Rowley.
"Distractions are not good for any team but for this team in particular they are really disruptive, so I was nervous about tonight because I knew the calibre of Leeds. I was pleasantly surprised, but not shocked that they brought that level and did themselves justice.
"Nobody had spoken to me directly," added Rowley of the strike reports. "I'd heard probably what everybody else had, but not a single players spoke to me, and as far as I'm concerned everybody turned up to every practice.
"Obviously there were 1,000 news articles about the strike. We had the RFL in having a meeting so there's a distraction there. I'm not saying it was a bad thing - the meeting was productive and good. But they are distractions nonetheless."