HULL KR coach Willie Peters hailed an “absolutely outstanding” derby display by Jez Litten after the hooker guided his side to the 18-4 victory over Hull FC which all but sealed the League Leaders’ Shield.
In a fine performance, the 27-year-old who is fresh from signing a contract extension to 2029 was a constant threat from dummy-half, proved fearsome in defence, and claimed a crucial try early in the second half.
It did his hopes of earning an England call-up from Shaun Wane for the Ashes series no harm at all.
“He was outstanding, absolutely outstanding,” enthused Peters. “The biggest thing for Jez this year was to be more consistent, and that was the feedback from Shaun too.
“Jez has really stepped up his game and he’s now getting into his prime.
“When I first came over, I thought Jez was a complete hooker and he could do everything, it was just doing it consistently. He’s 27 now, he could play for the next ten years if he wanted to and his best is ahead of him.
“I think part of it was believing in himself a little bit more and knowing the levels he could get to. Jez’s ceiling is higher than what he is at now. He’s got to keep asking more of himself and he’ll certainly reach the levels that we know he can.”
Hull FC counterpart John Cartwright was equally as effusive in his praise of the rival number nine.
“Jez Litten was a constant threat to us,” he said. “I thought he was the major difference between the two sides.
“The two forward packs cancelled themselves out and I thought we dealt with their halves and outside backs pretty well in general. But he (Litten) did us again.”