The Robins are double winners, but the focus is now on the treble.
There was a post-match moment last night when Jez Litten was being interviewed on Sky Sports and he started discussing the disappointing nature of Hull KR’s performance.
The response from the Sky pundits was simple: enjoy it.
Litten and Hull KR had just won their second major trophy of the season. They’d just finished top of Super League for the first-time ever.
To that extent, they were exactly right. Rovers, when they needed to, found a way to win. It’s not the first time this season, either.
Every team wants that trait, and it is an undoubted positive for the Robins right now. But it’s also okay to be disappointed, even concerned, with how the Rovers are performing.
The reality is that Hull KR did not play well on Thursday night. It was their second off performance back-to-back, even if it wasn’t on the same scale as last week’s defeat to Wakefield.
Now isn’t the time of year to lose form. It has to be said that three of Rovers’ last five outings have been off. It’s not ideal.
If a team ever needs a week off, it is probably Hull KR in this moment. Do not underestimate how gruelling this season has been for them. They’re already 31 games deep. They’ve had the emotional rollercoaster of winning the Challenge Cup, which undoubtedly will have been larger than it has been for other clubs, given the narrative surrounding it. This has been tough for the players mentally and physically.
They’ve probably had their eyes on the play-offs too. A top-two finish was secured a while ago, and the League Leaders’ Shield has felt like theirs since beating Wigan, even if securing it became more nerve-racking than they would have hoped.
To that extent, there’s a chance that the last few weeks have felt like something of a distraction. They’ve played a bit like that at times too.
But now, they can zone in on the main prize.
The challenge for them is to step up when it matters most. They have their rest, and they have no excuses. Peters confirmed Joe Burgess will return and the hope remains that Micky McIlorum will be fit too. If that’s the case, they will be full-strength.
The obvious narrative is that Rovers are stuttering. On the flip side, they could be preparing themselves nicely and getting themselves ready for one last push. We will only find out once they take to the field at Sewell Group Craven Park in a fortnight.
Willie Peters spoke bullishly, certainly by his standards, about how his team is tracking going into the finals. That was not a concerned coach, it was a confident one.
What is undeniable is that they’ve done the double. That they’re one win from a Grand Final. That they’re two wins from Old Trafford.
That’s not a bad place to be, regardless of how they’re playing.
Will they have to play better in the play-offs? Absolutely. Can they? We’ll find out soon.