WATCH: First career hat-trick well worth the wait for Hull FC’s Albert Kelly

At the age of 28, the Australian half-back crossed for his maiden treble inside just 19 second-half minutes as the Airlie Birds surged from behind to win 31-18 at Castleford Tigers.

It took his tally to 13 tries in just 16 games this term and kept up his impressive career ratio, having notched 41 tries in 61 matches for Hull since joining from Hull KR where he amassed 23 in 43.

Kelly also claimed 16 tries in 33 outings for Gold Coast Titans and it is only at his first club Cronulla Sharks where he has failed to be a regular contributor, crossing just twice in 14 appearances.

“I’m over the moon, my first-ever hat-trick,” he said, his crucial support play helping overturn a 14-4 interval deficit.

“I’ve never got one before and I’ve always fallen short on a brace.

“I dedicate it to one of my aunties back home who has passed away; it’s a sad time for the family back there.

“This feels good. We didn’t start crash-hot and we had a bit of a reset at half-time – that couldn’t have come any quicker.

“But we turned the tables. We knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty game and we’d have to stick in it for the 80 minutes.

“Credit the boys. We dug deep and came away with a tough win.”

Kelly was not the only one to shine as Hull rose up to third.

Their right edge ruled; outside the mercurial stand-off, England star Jake Connor was simply majestic at centre, helping create four of FC’s five tries.

Fijian winger Ratu Naulago – who only joined from the British Army in February – scored twice before supplying Kelly’s hat-trick with a stunning burst of pace.

Kelly added: “Jake is... phew… well, he’s a very, very talented player. I’ve played with some talented players and he’s definitely right up there. Ratu is brand new to the game but he’s just come in like he’s been playing for years.

“Our right edge has been pretty good lately. Our main thing has been our defence. Our motto is ‘defend dirty and attack clean’.

“We try to live up to that each week. And I try to get Jake involved into the game a lot more.”

Hull coach Lee Radford enthused about Kelly’s impact and said it was down to the enigmatic player being in a “happy place.”

“I’m just enjoying rocking up each day,” he said, with the East Yorkshire club also looking forward to a Challenge Cup semi-final against Warrington Wolves.

“I’m putting in the work and it’s going well. But it’s a positive camp. Everyone turns up to work on our negatives and positives.”