HULL KR chief executive Paul Lakin has taken umbrage at the critics of the club’s League Leaders’ Shield title claims.
Rovers secured top spot on the Super League ladder with a 28-20 win over Warrington Wolves last weekend – and with it the League Leaders’ Shield.
After securing top spot, however, the East Yorkshire club created a few rumblings by claiming the Shield as a ‘league title’ and therefore putting their 2025 success on a par with their five previous championship titles.
Critics claimed that the ‘real title’ is the Grand Final, which will be fought for at Old Trafford on October 11.
But, Lakin has defended the club’s decision.
“Why not?” Lakin told BBC Radio Humberside. “If it creates debate then fine, but I don’t really buy into that.
“People debate things in the media all the time. We think being top in the league season is a title so that’s why we wanted to call it that.
“Ultimately, we all know the big one is the Grand Final and we are well aware of that.
“But we wanted to recognise it as that and I’m really not interested in what anyone else thinks.”
With a background in football, Lakin believes that more emphasis needs to be given for finishing top.
“What I would say is for the game, we can become quite insular,” Lakin continued.
“If you talk to somebody outside of the game and you’ve won the league but it’s not the big one, I think it’s difficult for people outside of the sport to understand that.
“I’m all for the Grand Final and the money it generates, but it is a difficult one to get people engaged in the sport.
“My background is football so when you explain that to people who aren’t rugby league fans, it’s hard for them to grasp.”