Hull KR fell short at Wakefield Trinity with a late Mason Lino try.
Hull KR’s Tom Davies dejected after his side’s loss to Wakefield.
Willie Peters praised his side’s resilience despite suffering a dramatic defeat to Wakefield Trinity, insisting there were clear signs of improvement a week after their Challenge Cup final hammering, even as Hull KR left empty-handed.
A late Mason Lino try secured Wakefield a 26-24 home victory, with the half-back converting his own score to seal the two Super League points on offer.
Hull KR had led 24-20 after Tyrone May crossed just after the hour mark with both teams reduced to 12 men. Matty Storton was first sent off for high contact on James Batchelor before Sauaso Sue was given his marching orders for a swinging arm on Tray Lolesio.
Oliver Pratt opened the scoring inside six minutes, but Peters was proud of the way his side responded to trail just 16-12 at the break.
“I thought we had a lot of fight in us. We didn’t start well, and I could see that they were on top early,” Peters said.
“We found a way to get back in and showed a bit of grit. The start of the second half was similar to the first, we didn’t start well at all. It could have gotten away from us, but we found some fight, which I’m proud of.
“We put ourselves in a position to win that game – that’s the disappointing part. There were some key moments that we need to learn from.”
Peters wanted to see a response from his side following last weekend’s 40-10 Challenge Cup final defeat and had anticipated a tough test at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
Mikey Lewis, Jai Whitbread, Sam Luckley and May all crossed for the Robins, but they were unable to hold on for victory.
“You get a lot of lessons, and the main thing I wanted was to see more grit, fight and hunger than what we had last week, and we certainly had that,” Peters continued.
“We came here for two points, and we got beat at the back end. There’s a lot to take away and a lot of learnings, and I saw some positives compared to last week.”
Peters also admitted Sue was “upset” in the dressing room after his sending off in the 62nd minute, shortly after Storton’s dismissal.
“I need to have a good look at it. He swung his arm, and the referee and the video referee saw it and agreed,” Peters said.
“He’s upset in the dressing room. He’s a valuable part of what we do, and it’s not in his character to do it deliberately. He’s been sent off, and he accepts that.”