SHAUN KENNY-DOWALL is determined to ensure that Hull KR play in more big occasions this season after their heartbreaking Challenge Cup Final defeat.
The Robins took Leigh Leopards to golden-point extra time after a last-minute try by their hooker Matt Parcell, but it was their opposition who scored the winning one-pointer through Lachlan Lam.
Captain Kenny-Dowall says the club, who are currently in sixth place in Super League with six matches remaining to secure a play-off spot, will look to use the pain of defeat to drive their league ambitions.
“We’ll take the learnings as a group and our full focus goes to the season ahead,” he said.
“We’re sitting nicely and we know we need to rally around together and put our full energy into the back end of the year to give ourselves the best chance to be playing in another game like that at the end of the year.
“We’ll dust ourselves off and go back to what we always do – work hard, and prepare well.
“We’re disappointed but there’s still a lot of rugby to be played at the back end of the year. We want to get the most out of it.”
Kenny-Dowall admitted his disappointment for Hull KR’s fans: “I’m feeling for them today as well because we really wanted to get the win for everyone involved.”
Robins coach Willie Peters admitted that Hull KR “didn’t handle golden-point all that well” in his assessment of the final.
“We went through a lot in that game. In the 80 minutes, things went against us at times and we just hung in there.
“It shows the fight and the character of the side to keep going until the end.
“Unfortunately we lost in golden-point and obviously that is hard to take, but I’m really proud of the players.
“There’s no doubt it’s a disappointed shed; we just lost a final. But we also spoke about having six games to go in the Super League season and we can push and try to get to the finals.”