Castleford coach Ian Millward paid tribute to outstanding substitute Danny Orr after his hat-trick inspired the Tigers to a 34-30 victory over Salford at the PROBIZ Coliseum.
The veteran was dropped to the Tigers' bench after their quick turnaround from the Bradford game, but he was introduced midway through the first half and capped a man-of-the-match performance with a glittering treble.
The third of Orr's tries reduced Salford's eight-point lead late on before Craig Huby touched down in the final few minutes to seal a dramatic victory, snapping a four game winless streak for Cas.
"You've got to take your hat off to Danny Orr today, I thought his performance was outstanding," Millward said.
"He was an experienced head trying to steady a ship that was finding some holes in it at times.
"I just thought it was a really calming performance by a very good pro."
Millward, who revealed Josh Griffin will undergo surgery on his spine which will put him out for the rest of the season, also reserved special praise for Huby who was the toast of the home support after leaping to grab a high ball for the match-winning try.
"He's really talented," added Millward.
"I don't want to sound like I'm waiting for some mirage to happen but I think next year he's an England front rower.
"He can jump as good as anyone, he can pass as good anyone, he can kick as good as anyone. He's very talented and I'm really looking forward to him developing his game over the next three years."
In a topsy-turvy game, Castleford appeared to have thrown away their half-time advantage when Salford ran in three unanswered scores but Millward had no doubt his side were the more impressive.
"I personally believe it could have been a lot more comfortable today than having to go down the last straight and having to score two tries," he said.
Millward's opposite number Phil Veivers was furious with his side's performance in an error-strewn affair and was particularly disappointed in Salford's inability to close out a contest they seemingly had wrapped up.
"I thought it was a pretty disgusting game to be fair," he said.
"Basil (Millward) will have a smile on his face because he's got the two points but I thought it was a pretty disgusting advertisement for rugby league."
The visiting side's lead could have been extended further before Castleford fought back had Matty Ashurst's try not been chalked off for a forward pass from scrum-half Matty Smith.
Veivers added: "I thought it was a pretty tough call for a forward pass which would have put us 14 points up but at eight points down, seven minutes to go you'd expect to close out the game and that's a detriment to our guys.
"They upped the ante, the upped the tempo. There were two sides out there who looked dead on their feet, one was a little hungrier than the other."
