Hull KR captain Shaun Lunt insists promotion back to Super League with the Robins would rank as the biggest achievement of his career: more so than winning a Grand Final.
Lunt won at Old Trafford with Leeds back in 2012 but, as he prepares to lead KR into their Qualifiers opener this weekend against Halifax, the hooker says promotion would beat everything else he’s done in the game.
He told TotalRL: “I’m very fortunate that I’ve done a lot; I’ve played for England, I’ve won the league with Huddersfield, won a Grand Final with Leeds and been to Wembley to play in the Challenge Cup final. I’ve been lucky, haven’t I?
“I could retire tomorrow and be happy with what I’ve done so watching Super League as an outsider, it doesn’t feel strange. I’m happy at this club and whether we were in League 1, Championship or Super League I would still feel happy.
“If I never get that time at Super League again I’m happy but I’m not going to be envious towards it. But if we could get Hull KR back into Super League then that, for me at least, would be bigger than winning a Grand Final or anything else I’ve done.
“It would be number one, without doubt the biggest. Just for what it actually means, if that makes sense. You can win things but the significance of promotion and what it would mean to everyone in this area would make it the best.”
Lunt also insists that, following an impressive response to relegation from the club both on and off the field, Rovers are in a healthy position ahead of their quest for promotion.
“It’s weird coming into the Qualifiers from a different perspective as opposed to being in Super League,” he said.
“But I just think the whole club – and I mean everything – is in a great place at the moment. Neil Hudgell and Rob Crossland run the club superbly and I couldn’t sing their praises highly enough. Then there’s loads of other people and everyone is really tight-knit. There’s no divide; the foundations are very strong at the moment and we’ve been amazingly backed. We’ve got a great foundation to build on – it’s a good place to be but it’s nerve-wracking because we know what’s ahead.”
