THERE are few players in Super League many would back to chase down Tristan Sailor in full flight and then force him out of play while he’s still around 10 metres away from the touchline – probably least of all a 5ft 9in fullback weighing little over 12 stone.
Yet that is exactly what Logan Moy did for Hull FC against high-flying St Helens back in round eight on a night where he also scored a try and further underlined just how much he has grown into the No 1 role at the club following Will Pryce’s ACL injury.
Moy’s performance was somewhat overshadowed by the fact the Black and Whites were eventually beaten 24-14 by Saints and the heightened emotion surrounding what turned out to be John Cartwright’s last game as head coach.
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In a sport where size is a skill though, the relatively – by Super League standards, anyway – diminutive 20-year-old is showing there is a place for the smaller players to still excel on both sides of the ball, not that it has come as any surprise to Hull FC’s interim head coach Andy Last.
“I think the new rules have suited Logan’s strengths,” Last told BBC Radio Humberside. “He’s very, very good at challenging the big blokes who are slightly fatigued through the middle of the field.
“He’s brave, he’s worked extremely hard under the high ball and he’s safe under those high balls. Although he’s a little bit shorter, he gets off the ground well and is able to come up with the ball when they’re challenging him.
“He wants to get better, he’s constantly asking the right questions, he’s diligent in his preparation and he works exceptionally hard.
“Logan has done a really good job and I’m pleased for him, and long may his form continue.”
Moy was just 18 when he made his Super League debut off the interchange bench in a 56-22 defeat away to Huddersfield Giants in April 2024 and went on to make 18 appearances in total that season.
Although a dismal year for the injury-hit Black and Whites, who only finished above bottom side London Broncos on points difference, the former Skirlaugh Bulls junior was named as the club’s young player of the year.
Last, who returned to his hometown club as assistant in October of that year, admitted it was not the easiest of starts for Moy, but hailed the attributes which have helped him emerge as an eye-catching prospect.
“Physically he probably wasn’t quite ready, but one thing Logan has got is a big heart and he challenges players who are physically bigger than him with his tenacity, his energy and the speed he plays at,” Last said.
“[In training] when we were going 13-on-13, he won a couple of penalties for his team because he’s got that low centre of gravity and he moves very quick and he’s very, very agile.
“He’s got a lot of positives which he brings to group and I’m really pleased he’s been playing for so well.”
In terms of how he shapes up against other Hull FC fullbacks of the past, Last put Moy potentially in the same bracket as former New Zealand international Motu Tony and the late Steve Precott, both of whom were of a similar stature.
That might seem like a lot of expectation to put on young shoulders, yet Last does not see it that way as Moy and Hull FC aim to make it back-to-back wins when they host Toulouse Olympique in the final Super League match of round 10 on Sunday.
“He’s had plenty of praise, so hopefully we’ve got a giant at the back,” Last said.
“Rather than a little David, we’ve got a Goliath – so hopefully it has its desired effect.”
