TONY SMITH has revealed that the bond between the fans and the team at Hull KR was nothing like he had ever seen before as a head coach.
Smith enjoyed a three-and-a-half year stint at Craven Park, helping to put the foundations in place before Willie Peters took over.
During Smith’s tenure, Rovers were transformed from perennial strugglers to silverware contenders, but the Australian left Craven Park midway through the 2022 Super League season just as the Robins were preparing for a Challenge Cup semi-final.
The 58-year-old has also had spells with Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves and Hull FC, but he has claimed that the bond between Rovers fans and the players is the strongest he has seen.
“I have no regrets at all, I loved my time coaching at each place,” Smith told the League Express podcast.
“I was asked to take over as caretaker coach initially for the last three months of the year – that was my plan.
“Danny McGuire was playing there and about to retire and I think the convinced the owners to come and have a chat with me to see if I would do it for three months.
“I said yes. I had had enough of coaching and needed a break. When I got there, it surprised me a bit so I was tempted to stay on.
“I stayed on for nearly thee years. I’ve got to say, there were a couple of observations of my time there.
“I think the crowds have always been consistent but it was different to most other clubs I had been at, the connection between the team and the spectators is stronger than anywhere else I had been or seen.
“They really connected. We could have had a not so good result or performance and it felt like the crowd were still on the team’s side.
“They were there to support the team. It’s going to be interesting to see now how they go when their expectations are a little different to see if that remains.
“But it’s the strongest bond I’ve seen between spectator and team. I think the team responds to that also. It was very special.”