Hull KR’s youngsters can keep their heads high despite their 46-0 defeat to a strong Wigan Warriors outfit, with Matt Peet’s side extending their Super League winning run to a club-record 13 matches.
Willie Peters handed out three club debuts to Frankie Dearlove, Alfie Woods and Dec Murphy, while Harvey Horne also made his first Super League appearance after previously featuring in the Challenge Cup third-round victory over Lock Lane, scoring a hat-trick against the community club.
Here are the main takeaways from Round 25 at the Brick Community Stadium.
First-team regular in the making
Louix Gorman looks like a first-team regular in the making, even if Wigan’s left edge crossed for four tries on the night – a hat-trick for Liam Marshall and another for Jake Wardle.
Gorman, 21, was handed a first-team opportunity from the interchange bench against Toulouse Olympique last week, with head coach Peters pleased with the energy he brought onto the field despite the defeat.
He started against a strong Wigan outfit who have not lost since May’s reverse fixture, when Matt Peet fielded a youthful side ahead of the Challenge Cup. The appearance marked Gorman’s sixth Super League outing of his young career.
Four of those came with Salford during their demise last year, where he impressed in a struggling former Red Devils outfit while gaining valuable experience.
Gorman made his Hull KR debut against Wigan in 2023 and scored against Toulouse in Round 24.
He got through plenty of work at the Brick Community Stadium, making 115 metres from 15 carries – bettered for Hull KR only by Lee Kershaw and Jack Broadbent.
The club’s 2023 Young Player of the Year looks like a first-team regular in the making and could eventually become a long-term replacement for Peta Hiku, who is off-contract at the end of 2027.
Bill Leyland impresses
Speaking of workload, Leyland completed 52 tackles on the night, missing just two.
He started at hooker with England international Jez Litten rested, with Hull KR managing a hectic schedule that has seen them play four games in 14 days.
Peters insisted Leyland grew into the game, and the youngster continues to knock on Hull KR’s door for more opportunities, with Friday marking just his 10th appearance for the club this season.
Karl Lawton also topped the tackling charts with 52 after starting at loose forward.
Willie Peters’ pride justified
Peters was a proud head coach afterwards, admitting some may have thought he was ‘crazy’ for sharing those feelings after such a heavy defeat.
But that pride was justified.
There could be no questions over the youngsters’ efforts across the 80 minutes, including a last-ditch tackle to deny Zach Eckersley his hat-trick with just 12 seconds remaining – a defensive moment that perfectly summed up Peters’ pride in his side.
The conditions also made life even more difficult, with the heavens opening not long into the contest and flooding the pitch.
The match was almost disrupted by lightning, too, with safety officers monitoring the conditions amid the possibility of a delay.
Frankie Dearlove inches away
It marked the first time Hull KR have been held scoreless under Peters – but Frankie Dearlove was literally an inch away from preventing that unwanted record.
Making his senior debut in the back-row after being promoted to the first-team ahead of 2026, it initially looked as though Dearlove had scored midway through the second half.
However, only a brilliant effort from Bevan French stopped the 19-year-old.
The Wigan superstar somehow managed to get his hand underneath the ball to prevent it from touching down before Dearlove slid over the sidelines.
Still, it was a night to remember for academy product Dearlove.