Craig Moss believes his best is yet to come after he marked his long-awaited Cougars comeback with a hat-trick in Sunday’s thrilling 36-16 win at Swinton.

The full back made his first appearance of the season and bagged a second-half hat-trick to help Paul March’s resurgent side to their third straight victory.

The Wales international was back in the side after recovering from a shoulder operation following an injury he sustained during a pre-season game against Doncaster.

Moss – Cougars’ player of the year last season – was subsequently named the Premier Sports player of the week for his performance against Swinton.

The delighted 27-year-old said: “Firstly, I was just glad to get back playing.

“I played the majority of last season, where I think I only missed two games all year.

“To then injure my shoulder during a pre-season game was very frustrating.

“No-one likes getting injured, so it was just massive for me to get back playing in the first team.

“To help the lads to our third victory on the bounce, as well as scoring a hat-trick, was even better.

“I didn’t feel like I played outstandingly but I suppose my tries put me in the spotlight.”

It was Moss’ first competitive game since last September and his ability to support play was illustrated to devastating effect.

Moss, who is based in Knottingley and works for Wakefield Council as a sports development officer, said: “When you play in my position, you tend to get on the end of things.

“Watching the team over the last eight to 12 weeks, things haven’t been going right.

“You think to yourself ‘am I going to get back and what am I going to play like?’ “We had a poor 16 minutes on Sunday but after that it was fantastic that everything the team tried came off.

“I thought I played all right but there’s definitely more to come.”

Cougars boss March was fulsome in his praise of Moss, saying: “Craig came straight back in and showed us all what we’ve been missing.

“His support play was outstanding – every time we made a half-break he was there.

“He also created some opportunities on the edges, which is something we’ve been missing.”

The Premier Sports try of the week award also went to a Cougars player, with Paul White named after finishing in the corner following a crisp handling move.

March said: “It was a try that any winger would have been happy with. It was a superb finish.”

Apart from Moss, club-mate Brendon Rawlins was also included in the overall team of the week.

Cougars host Dewsbury on Sunday, when victory could take them another step closer towards securing a play-off berth.

They are level on points with eighth-placed Workington and March’s squad is in good health.

Moss said: “Dewsbury will be a massive test this weekend and we’re under no illusions how tough the run-in could be but confidence is high after what we did at Swinton.”

Moss is also hoping to earn inclusion in the Wales squad for the World Cup later this year, having played against England and France last autumn.

He said: “It was a fantastic experience to play with the likes of Lee Briers and to play in those games was the highlight of my career which no-one can ever take away from me.

“But it’s hard juggling my job with my playing commitments and being a father as well.

“I have a nine-month-old daughter called Neveah but my wife, Lindsey, is incredibly supportive.

“Hopefully I can have a strong finish to the season with Cougars and book my place in Wales’ final squad for the World Cup.”

Meanwhile, Cougars Under-20s lost 32-24 at Halifax last Wednesday. Richie Barnett bagged a hat-trick and Jack Copperwaite also touched down, while Ben Stead kicked four goals.