HULL KR head coach Willie Peters has confirmed that recruitment at present poses “a difficult situation” after he admitted a potential target was not allowed to leave his current club at present.
The Robins have suffered greatly with injuries during the 2023 Super League season with the likes of Jordan Abdull, Lachlan Coote, Jesse Sue and James Batchelor all sidelined for most – if not all – of the year.
For Peters, his recruitment strategy is focused on a potential short-term opportunity.
“We are certainly looking at the moment,” Peters said. “We are halfway through the season, with some having contracts in place and others not being sure for next year.
“It may be an opportunity-based contract, they are not easy to find so we are definitely searching and looking for the right type of player and person.
“It is a difficult situation, you look to go for a longer-term contract but the problem is players are locked in at other clubs or do you go shorter-term and give someone an opportunity and that is the way we are going down but we are far from finalised yet.”
Peters expanded, stating that a potential transfer fell through due to the club’s unwillingness to release the player here and now, with halfback a current focus due to the injury suffered by Jordan Abdull.
“Myself and Paul (Lakin – Hull KR CEO) in the background are working about how we can strengthen our squad.
“There are players we are potentially looking at, it’s not an easy one because players from overseas want longer-term contracts.
“We are not sure we are in the position to do that and there are a lot of factors. We had interest from one player but the club didn’t want to let him go which was totally understandable as he is their player. Nothing is finalised yet.
“Because Jordan (Abdull) went down it was more about in the halves, we are thin around those halves. If he hadn’t have gone down, we would have looked more at fullback or even another position.
“It also needs to be the right fit for the player and the club.”