The Robins head into today’s Hull derby sitting sixth in the Super League table
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters
Hull KR will be missing key men this weekend but Willie Peters believes they will be better for this period in the long run.
KR’s form has been up and down of late and as the Robins look to bounce back from their humbling defeat last time out against league leaders Leeds Rhinos, they know the importance of claiming the two points against Hull FC this afternoon.
However, in order to claim an eighth Hull derby win in a row, they will have to overcome some challenging circumstances with Tevita Pangai Jr suspended for six games and Tom Amone and Dean Hadley dropping out through injury.
With Sam Luckley also missing, Rovers find themselves short through the middle of the park, and that ensures they will be patched up this week against their greatest rivals, but Peters believes that strength comes through adversity.
“There’s going to be players playing out of position this week,” the Rovers boss told Hull Live. “We’re going to have to move people around but I’m confident they’ll do a job.
“There’s going to be players that have wanted more time and they’re going to get it now and it gives opportunity.
“It’s a difficult period for us but these are the periods you enjoy because you learn a lot about yourself as an individual and you learn a lot about the team. It’s always rewarding when you get through the other side and you’re stronger for it.
“The players don’t need too much motivation, they should have that. The stadium we’re playing at, the atmosphere will be electric, I’ve been there before for the Ashes, it’s an unbelievable stadium but it’s a great opportunity for players to be able to express themselves with a lot of eyes looking at them.”
Coming off the back of the loss to Wakefield Trinity at the start of June, Peters admitted he would be using the following three games as a yardstick to see where his side where at. So what did he learn about his Robins over that period which culminated last week?
“I know that we’re not in the top echelon of teams at the moment. Leeds are proving that and Wigan are playing well.
“We’ve got some chasing to do. When you are chasing, you need to be hungry.
“We’ve got some work to do to be able to get to where we want to go. I know the team we’ve got but I also know where we are at the moment.
“It tests your character. If you get through these periods, you get a lot of belief from it. This is the time when you need to pull together and get through it together.”
Picking up the two points this week would be enormous for the Robins then and while bragging rights are on the line, so is Peters’ proud record in Hull derbies.
“We’ve had one loss in my time here and it’s probably the worst defeat that I’ve had,” he added.
“We’ve had some defeats in big games but you don’t want to ever lose a derby.
“The motivation is there this week. Our whole philosophy and aim is to make our community proud. There’s no better game to do that than this weekend.”