The final step to glory is the hardest one to take, but Willie Peters tells STEPHEN IBBETSON how Hull KR intend to do it.
ON and off the field, Hull KR are now a club aiming only for the very top.
For so long, they have been one of Super League’s stragglers, without the financial firepower to do much more than make up the numbers.
But today the impression is only of a club transformed.
Off the field they have delivered a rebrand, brought several new directors onto the board and been given the indicative Grade A licence that could guarantee their top-flight place under club grading.
On it, Hull KR have just enjoyed their most successful season of the summer era, by reaching the Challenge Cup Final, finishing in the top four and reaching the Super League play-off semi-finals.
But the Robins don’t intend to finish there. They are planning further stadium enhancements, exploring a potential expansion of Craven Park for a growing supporter base and are serious about taking the final step on the field by winning silverware.
Willie Peters has impressed greatly in his year as head coach to date, the Australian putting together a team as industrious as their East Hull surrounds and the people who support them.
And that is why, when he sets out Hull KR’s ambitions, it sounds less like an empty platitude and more like a serious statement of intent.
“Every team, every coach, every player would be lying if they said they weren’t going after a trophy. That’s what we play for,” he says.
“I want to be winning trophies. It’s part of why I coach. The reason why I got into coaching was that I love helping players, I love helping people. But then when you get the opportunity to be a Super League head coach, you need to win.
“We don’t shy away from chasing what we want to chase, and that is silverware. Are we there yet? We’re close, but no, we’re not there yet, so we need to build.
“Am I saying we’re going to win it this year? No I’m not. Are we striving for it? Yes we are. We need to keep working hard and that’s what we’re doing.”
It’s why, for all the plaudits that rightly went Hull KR’s way in 2023, Peters only considers it to have been a “very good” season and not a great one.
“You define great seasons by winning silverware. That’s what Wigan and Leigh did,” he adds.
“Wigan, winning the two, had a great season. That’s where we’re striving to be and we make no secret about that.
“It’s about working hard now and building again to have that sort of season. There’s no doubt that last season was a good one and we took a lot of steps in the right direction.
“But for us to go to the next level – we’re not far off but we can take a big step as well – we’ve certainly addressed things from the back end of last year that we could have improved and we’ve certainly held on to all of the things that we did well.”
That next level, however, is so challenging for any club to reach – hence only four clubs winning the Super League Grand Final since 1998. How do they make the final step?
“It’s being consistent with everything we do. It’s consistency in training, consistency around certain choices that we make.
“When you look at all the successful teams – Wigan last year winning the comp, St Helens over the last five years – their best and worst performances aren’t too far off.
“That’s what we strive to do, be consistent with our best and worst not being a massive gap. When you’ve got that on the field, naturally you’ll get more results.
“But more importantly, it’s consistency around the place, off the field, doing the right things away from the game. That’s where we need to improve. We need to be consistent when we’re away from training.
“What we’re building here is a really professional environment. We want to make sure the players have everything they could have to be their best.
“As coaches, that’s what we’re here for, the players. If we can provide that, it’s pretty much down to the players to do the rest.”
A few new faces should help too, and the Robins can’t be accused of standing still over the off-season.
They have lost some serious experience and pedigree over the past twelve months, with fullback Lachlan Coote, centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall and backrower Kane Linnett all retiring.
But they believe they have signed strong replacements in those positions with Peta Hiku coming from North Queensland Cowboys, Oliver Gildart after a brief spell with Leigh, and Kelepi Tanginoa from Wakefield (who have also supplied Jai Whitbread to replace Rhys Kennedy) respectively.
Tyrone May brings experience at halfback from Catalans to complement Mikey Lewis and Jordan Abdull following the loss of Brad Schneider, while Niall Evalds (from Castleford) provides versatility and the trio of Reiss Butterworth (Dewsbury), AJ Wallace (Bradford) and Neil Tchamambe (Leeds) offer potential.
Of Hiku and Evalds, who could both fill several different roles, Peters says: “Peta will be the fullback at the moment, he’ll get the first opportunity there, but we’ve got Niall that can play there as well.
“At the moment, Niall will be pushing for a wing spot, but we’ll certainly use Niall in a different role. He won’t just be your traditional winger, carrying the footy and making metres through power carries.
“He’s going to be more about finding space. We want to be putting him in space. If he’s on the wing, we’ll certainly use him in a floating role, but there’s no doubt he’ll get some opportunities at fullback as well.”
On the competition at halfback provided by May, he adds: “It’s a headache that you want as a coach, but the players will dictate and tell us who needs to be in the team for round one by the way they train.
“We only had to look at the season he had at Catalans and there is no doubt he was one of the dominant halves in the competition. Even in the Grand Final he probably looked the most likely (to create something). He’s going to be a great addition to our club.”
Peters acknowledges that Gildart for Kenny-Dowall is not a like-for-like swap at left centre: “Ollie is Ollie. We don’t want to be comparing him to Shaun.
“One is a powerful player, taller and bigger, and the other is faster. We need to create more space for Ollie, where Shaun created that himself with his power.
“They’re two different players, but I know he’s going to be a great addition to us. There are not many centres who have feet as quick as his. On that left side, Ryan Hall will get a few tries from Ollie setting him up.”
Likewise, the two forward additions have been tasked with bringing a different dimension to the team.
“If you look at our squad, once Kane left I thought where’s the little gap? It’s probably leg speed in our back row. Who’s the player who can bring that? It’s Kelepi,” adds the coach.
“Jai was a sought-after prop in the comp. I just didn’t think we had a prop who can stay on the field and do long minutes, and Jai does that. I’m excited to see what he can bring to the way we play.”
The Hull KR captaincy has been passed on following Kenny-Dowall’s retirement, to loose-forward Elliot Minchella, while James Batchelor has been added to a three-man leadership group.
“Batch is the sort of player who leads by his actions, and he’s well-liked and respected among the group,” says Peters.
“There’s Ryan Hall, who has seen and done it all, and Elliot Minchella as well, so we’ve got three good leaders, and now it’s about working on some emerging leaders too.”
Kenny-Dowall remains in East Hull in a coaching capacity, taking on the position of development coach, which will see him operate across the club from Academy to first-team level.
He is part of a revamped structure under Peters which includes fellow Aussie Brett Delaney, former favourite David Hodgson, and Danny Ward, who joins as an assistant coach fresh from leading Castleford to Super League survival in a short stint.
Ward is a replacement for Danny McGuire, who was surprisingly allowed to leave Hull KR and has subsequently joined the Tigers as an assistant.
Peters won’t comment on the circumstances around his departure but says of Ward: “Danny will give us experience of being a head coach, down in London and for a short time in Castleford.
“He’s had to make certain decisions and he’s seen things as a head coach. That certainly helps me.
“Danny is ready and could be a head coach now. I know he was offered the role at Castleford. He’s a head coach in his own right. So to have someone like that, it’s very helpful for me and for the players.
“He’s very detailed in what he does. He and Brett Delaney work on the defence together and they’re building a really good relationship.
“Like any coaching staff, you want to challenge each other and make each other better, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The current focus is on pre-season, and maintaining the notable intensity from Peters’ first, which brought such productive results with their strong end to the 2023 season.
“I’m a massive believer in what you do in pre-season helping define your season,” he says.
“There were some questions throughout the year around our pre-season and burning them out, but you’re going to have dips in the season. I knew where we were at, and it improved after Wembley.
“When you have a strong pre-season, usually you start quite well, but you also finish strong as well. That’s how our season panned out, but we need to go do it again.”
The same again, but with an even better outcome – that’s the clear target.
