RED-HOT ASH FIRED UP

DEFEATED Ash Handley said it was “miraculous” he even played in the Grand Final – and Leeds will be back better in 2023.

The prolific winger was powerless to stop the Rhinos losing 24-12 against St Helens.

But it was impressive he was even on the Old Trafford turf after missing their two play-offs games with a serious foot injury.

Handley (below) conceded: “It was tough to get back. I couldn’t really walk last week so it settled down quite well.

“At the beginning of the week we did some running sessions to see how it’d go.

“I put it in uncomfortable positions to see how I coped.

“And back-to-back running sessions is what I needed to do to see how I pulled up and came back in training.

“Miraculously it felt fine. It’s a bit sore now. But as the week went on, I felt I’d be all right.”

Underdogs Leeds, who finished fifth, fell behind when Matty Lees crossed after just 147 seconds – and they never recovered.

Handley admitted: “Saints always start well. That was our mindset going into the game – try to contain them for the first 20.

“We did manage to sneak one try before the end of the half but we just let them get too far ahead and Saints are a great team.”

Rhinos can look back on a terrific second half to the season when they transformed from relegation candidates to title hopefuls following boss Rohan Smith’s arrival.

Handley said: “When this has settled down and we’ve had time to reflect, we will know it’s pretty remarkable what we’ve done. “We spoke about it in the dressing room afterwards.

“It’s five months since Rohan came in and he’s been great for us. In the bigger picture it’s just the start of what’s to come.”