HUGGING each and everyone of his Hull FC team-mates, Richard Horne gave teenage centre Jack Logan an extra big squeeze.
The conclusion to a wonderful career was everything Horne had hoped for and he owed it in a large way to Logan, who came up with the individual moment of brilliance in the dying minutes of the game to snatch Hull a dramatic victory.
It was a fitting end for Horne, who got the send off his career deserved. It hadn't looked like being the case with 20 minutes to go and Hull 15 points behind after an opening 60 minutes which both sides would have been happy to forget.
But, inspired by their captain Gareth Ellis, Hull found a new level to their play and when they raised it Leeds couldn't respond as four unanswered tries took Lee Radford's men to a memorable victory that Horne certainly won't forget.
Beaten by Leeds on his debut, 387 appearances later the stand-off's career was bookended with a victory to savour
The match had started in poor fashion and threatened for long periods to continue in the same way.
It was fitting the first try of the night came from an error, because in the 15 minutes that preceded Tom Lineham's score, errors were what dominated the match.
With neither side retaining possession well, the excitement and atmosphere that had been built by the guard of honour to mark Horne's final game was soon disappearing. Horne was one of the guilty parties, one of many as both sides struggled to hold onto the ball and build any momentum.
So, it was fitting when teenager Logan forced an error from Rhinos full-back Zak Hardaker and put Lineham over in the corner to score.
Leading by four, Hull were marginally the better side and almost had a second try soon after which would have raised the roof.
Pouncing on a Rhinos off-load in front of the Hull posts, Horne broke through the Leeds defence and raced free downfield. With the roar of the FC faithful willing him on, the veteran stand-off looked like he was going to make it the whole 90 metres to the try-line, only for Carl Ablett to spoil the party and clip his ankles.
With the moans from the home fans still reverberating Hull then proceeded to waste the golden opportunity to capitalise with quick ball out to left and a four-on-one situation passing them by thanks to another misplaced pass.
It was about as good as it got for the hosts in the first half, who thanks to some aggressive defending managed to keep Leeds quiet until the closing stages of the half. The trouble was they couldn't make any impact with the ball in hand themselves.
Still, it looked like Radford's men had done enough to shade proceedings going into the break, only for Rob Burrow's introduction to spark the Challenge Cup winners into life. It was the diminutive hooker's good work which sent Ablett over for a try to level proceedings just before the break.
Kevin Sinfield duly obliged with the extra two points and then, on the stroke of the hooter, he added a further point with a drop-goal to increase his side's advantage.
The visitors' three-point margin hadn't really been earned, but neither had their second try as they came out after the re-start and added a further six points. Horne's towering bomb was allowed to bounce by the watching FC forwards and as it fell into Kallum Watkins' hands the Rhinos centre raced unchallenged over the halfway line before off-loading to Danny McGuire to finish the break.
Sinfield's conversion and another after Ryan Hall got in on the act put the Rhinos further ahead and such is the story of Hull's frustrating season, without being outplayed they found themselves having to chase the game.
To their credit, chase points is what they did. And effectively. Inspired by captain Ellis, Hull found a lease of life that for 60 minutes had been absent.
First Ellis was quick to react on a kick from Kirk Yeaman of all people, before the second-row came up with the off-load in a tackle on the Rhinos try-line to send Fetuli Talanoa over for a third try.
Jordan Rankin's failure to kick any of admittedly three testing touchline conversions meant Hull still need to register two more tries. But such was their growing belief, it didn't matter.
The double would come, with Logan getting the spoils and with Rankin finding his kicking boots victory was Hull's and Horne's.
The ending everyone wanted had been achieved and in dramatic style too.
