Willie Peters has spoken about the “emotional meeting” at which he broke the news to his Hull Kingston Rovers players that he would be leaving Craven Park at the end of this season.
The Australian coach is heading back to the NRL for his first senior coaching role in that competition, in charge of the new PNG Chiefs franchise in 2027.
He revealed his decision to the squad on Thursday morning and they responded with a 52-10 thrashing of St Helens which was their third win in four games in all competitions after a poor start to their defence of the Super League title.
Peters told BBC Radio Humberside: “Once I had the information I wasn’t going to hold that back from the players, the CEO and the board, so I had conversations with Paul [Sewell, chairman], and then spoke to the team.
“It was an emotional meeting, me letting them know what I was looking to do, because we’ve built a family environment here and we’re all close.”
Peters has overseen the most successful season in the club’s history, cleaning up all three domestic trophies before beating Brisbane Broncos in February to add the World Club Challenge to the cabinet.
“To do what we did last year builds stronger connections and stronger relationships and at the end of the year when we do move on we’ll have friends for life in east Hull,” he added.
“It wasn’t easy to let the players know, but it gave them clarity, and our aim now is just to make sure we give this season everything it deserves.