Hull KR have had the depth and options needed to spell players this season
Hull KR skipper Elliot Minchella
Willie Peters is looking for ‘quality over quantity’ from Hull KR skipper Elliot Minchella this season.
Minchella has started all but one game for the Robins this season, with the Challenge Cup win over York Knights being the only game the loose-forward has missed so far this season.
However, with Rovers having depth and options off the bench, he has been spelled during games on a more regular basis this season, with KR hoping to keep him fresh so he can play better for longer.
And, despite the club captain making a couple of errors at Odsal on Saturday, Minchella was one of those to catch the eye against Bradford Bulls on Saturday, making up for those mistakes and leading firmly from the front in the 48-12 win.
“There was a couple of moments in that first half that Mini owned at half-time but I was really happy with his respond in the second,” Peters said about the 30-year-old, who has now skippered Rovers to every trophy there is to win. “If he does play less minutes, it’s purely because we want quality over quantity with him and with certain players we’re in a position now where we can do that.
“It’s a long year and hopefully we don’t have a week off, it’s crazy, it’s such a demanding season.
“That’s how we freshen the players up: minutes, time away from training, what we do at training and management. There’s a lot that goes into it.
“If Elliot’s not playing full games it’s not necessarily because he’s playing poorly, it’s purely around managing him or that’s what’s needed for that game.
“This game, he played big minutes again and I think that was important because there was a couple of things he wanted to make up for in that second half and he led the way. I thought our leaders in that second half stood up.”