It’s the same conundrum for the next two weeks; do you rotate, do you go for it? For Willie Peters, he must decide what is best for his team in the build-up to Wembley while also trying to get results before then.
Tonight they take on their Challenge Cup Final opponents, who are in a bit of a weird spot themselves. They are already down on troops leading into the final so to a certain extent, Sam Burgess has it a little easier than Peters.
After being rested last week, Peta Hiku and Sauaso Sue will come back in. We know Jared Waerea-Hargreaves won’t play because he’s suspended. The question is what else Peters wants to do.
The temptation to rest players will be there and it would be a surprise to see Rovers at full strength. The question, who would you give a break? He will also want to put a side out that’s more than capable of winning the game.
The natural place to look would be the ever-present. That would put the likes of Dean Hadley, Elliot Minchella and Tyrone May in contention for a week off.
The player we’re tipping for a rest is Hadley. He’s played huge minutes, is a key player and deserves a well-earned breather. Not only that but it would give Peters a chance to give Eribe Doro another first-team opportunity. He spoke in the week about wanting to give younger players game-time but there would still be enough experience in the side to not be overly concerned.
One player we don’t expect to play is Bill Leyland. Peters admitted he suffered a setback with his ankle injury in training and it’s hard to see him, or anyone, being risked when there’s an injury concern attached to them right now. With that, Jez Litten will most likely have to play the full 80 minutes. We expect him to get a rest next week.
Taking that into account, we’re tipping Peters to run with an outside back on the bench, offering the option to change things in the backline but also rest players later in the game if the opportunity presents itself. You’d expect it to be one of Noah Booth or Jack Broadbent to take the bench role, the other a starting centre. We’re going with Broadbent to go on the bench.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ absence will likely shuffle Jai Whitbread back into the middle and Kelepi Tanginoa will be promoted to the starting line-up. After a shorter but more effective stint against Huddersfield, he’ll likely be tasked with playing the full 80 here. Don’t forget he recently had a week off after failing a HIA.
A rest for Hadley would be counteracted with three middles on the bench who can share the workload.
Predicted Hull KR side : Arthur Mourgue, Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Noah Booth, Joe Burgess, Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May, Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Jai Whitbread, Kelepi Tanginoa, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella. Subs: Sam Luckley, Jack Brown, Eribe Doro, Jack Broadbent