NEW Huddersfield Giants head coach Luke Robinson believes the club should be looking at Hull KR as the model to follow.
Robinson, 40, has been appointed to his first top job on a three-year contract, following two months in interim charge since the exit of previous coach Ian Watson.
He has served a significant apprenticeship with the Giants, having been on the coaching staff since his playing retirement in 2016.
Robinson takes over a side that has struggled for some time, coming ninth in Super League last season and on course to finish in the same position this year as well.
And he admits it will take time to take Huddersfield towards the top, using the example of Hull KR.
Robinson said: “First and foremost, we need to improve. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’ve got to build.
“I love what Hull KR have done. Look at the way they’ve gone around the past three or four years, they put a lot of effort lads into that side and you can tell the style of rugby they play, I really like that.
“And if you look at their recruitment, they’ve slowly built and they’re now sitting at the top of Super League. The way they’ve gone about it is probably something Huddersfield should try and emulate.
“It isn’t about jumping straight to the top, it’s about putting the building blocks in place. Not only making us challenge, but actually making us sustainable.
“That’s something Huddersfield haven’t done. We’ve had patches, we’ve had good years, but we’ve not sustained that success. That’s one of the big things we need to do.”
Robinson admitted that the timing of his appointment meant he would not have much influence on changes to his squad – which will lose Chris Hill – for next season.
“At the end of the year, a lot of stuff is tied up. I’m not sure how much room there is for manoeuvre,” he added.
“As I’ve said before, with the players in the squad I feel like we can get better if we fix things up in our game individually and as a group.
“But I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight. Fingers crossed we can do business but it’s not that easy.”
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