Leading man: Shaun Lunt determined to take Hull KR back to where they belong

LEADING THE WAY: Hull Kingston Rovers' new captain, Shaun Lunt.
Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe — LEADING THE WAY: Hull Kingston Rovers' new captain, Shaun Lunt. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

The 29-year-old takes over the armband following the departure of previous captain Terry Campese and will lead out the Robins for the first time in tomorrow’s Clive Sullivan Trophy fixture against Hull FC at the KCOM Stadium.

Having first played on loan for Rovers from Huddersfield Giants in 2015 when he made 19 appearances before signing a permanent deal in time for last year, which unfortunately saw the club fall out of Super League with defeat to Salford Red Devils on a dramatic final day.

New Rovers’ head coach, Tim Sheens, has been impressed with Lunt during pre-season training, convincing him he has got the right man in charge on the pitch.

“First and foremost I want a captain who leads by example, who never cuts a corner at training and who represents the club on and off the field,” said Sheens. “Shaun has those qualities.”

Lunt said he was honoured to be chosen for the role, particularly by a coach of former Australian national coach Sheens’s standing.

“I’m over the moon, I really am,” said Lunt. “It’s a huge honour and when I look back on my career it will definitely be a real highlight of it.

“It means even more as well in the situation we are in at the moment with going down to the Championship. I’m really honoured and touched to be named captain for such an important year for the club.

“Tim had a lot of natural leaders and good blokes in the squad to choose from. He’s come in and he didn’t know any of us but he’s one of the best coaches of our era so to be chosen by somebody like him is fantastic.”

Sheens said he had every confidence in Lunt proving to be the ideal candidate for the role.

“He’s an experienced player with the respect of the coaching staff and his team-mates and he’ll do a good job.

“I don’t want a captain who shouts and screams and orders people around the field. It will be down to the spine of the team collectively to guide us around the park and it will be those players who make the majority of the decisions throughout a match in terms of how we want to play.”