A Super League coach is expecting to see more new title winners in the near future.
Steve McNamara believes Hull KR’s breaking of Super League’s glass ceiling will help inspire other clubs to kick on and earn ‘opportunities’ to compete for the competition’s greatest prize – with the likes of Hull FC, Leigh Leopards, and Wakefield Trinity, all backed by ambitious and hungry ownership, looking to get amongst the elite in the not-too-distant future.
This month, the Robins became just the fifth winner of the Super League competition since its inception in 1996, joining St Helens, Bradford Bulls, Wigan Warriors, and Leeds Rhinos as champions in the summer era. And McNamara, who has coached both Bradford and Catalans Dragons in Super League, is now anticipating more potential new winners in the next ‘five or so’ years after Rovers’ big blueprint.
However, there is a catch, and it centres on being well-run organisations with the right coaching, dynamics, and investment, something that has been crucial in East Hull with the coaching appointment of Willie Peters, not to mention investment to the club at board level.
It’s something Hull, Trinity, and the Leythers have in Andrew Thirkill, Matt Ellis, and Derek Beaumont, not to mention astute coaches in John Cartwright, Daryl Powell, and Adrian Lam. The rise of new challengers has also been shown off the field in all three clubs being awarded Grade A status with IMG, along with Catalans and Warrington Wolves – the club McNamara has recently joined to work alongside Sam Burgess.
Speaking to All Out Rugby League, Powered by Smart Energy GB, McNamara said: “In rugby league it does feel like it’s going the other way a little bit now (towards new winners after a 28-year stranglehold).”
“But there’s a reason why Hull Kingston Rovers and Wigan have been at the last two Grand Finals: because they are the best-run clubs and teams. It’s not an accident; it just doesn’t happen like that, but these other clubs are now starting to be really well run, really well coached, and really well drilled – they’ve got all of these other bits going on there as well.
“Hopefully that will be the case and the people who are putting money into our game, into our sport and into our individual clubs stay involved as well. Without those people and that (investment), Hull KR would have found it very difficult to emerge.
“Neil Hudgell has done a great job there on his own for years and years along with Ross Crossland, who has sadly passed away. He then suddenly got some new investment that helped him there along the way and they’ve been able to put their plans in place.
“I do think there will be some other opportunities for other teams to win some Grand Finals and Challenge Cups.”
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