Sporting Bygones: Before Wigan dominated, it was Millward’s Hull KR who looked set to create a sporting dynasty

Admittedly, all Robins fans gleefully reminisce about 1979-80 when they lifted the Challenge Cup at Wembley for the first and only time against, of course, their fierce rivals from across the city.

However, the ‘83-84 campaign soon after reaped the biggest rewards in their history when they fittingly denied Hull again, pipping them to the Championship title by just a single point, before going on to complete a piece of history.

Roger Millward’s side, with such luminaries as Australian full-back John Dorahy and Kiwi stars Gordon Smith and the prolific Gary Prohm, defeated Castleford in the Premiership final too to become the first club to perform such a double.

It was a real purple patch in the club’s existence and inspired by the promptings of their famous coach who had been a legendary player of such repute.

Andy Kelly, the strong-running second-row who joined from Wakefield Trinity in 1982, remembered to the Yorkshire Post: “I think Roger brought together a team over a couple of years, starting in 82-83, that really hit its straps.

“If I recollect we worked really hard on defensive structures. He felt within the team there was a lot of ability and if we defended well we had enough ability to win any game.

“When you do look back we had people like John Dorahy, David Hall plus Mike and Gordon Smith so we had the right people to dictate and dominate games.

“But on the back of that there was some aggressive types too like Mark Broadhurst, the Kiwi prop who had just come over from Australia, and Chris Burton, while there was some strike in Gary Prohm and myself. Paul Harkin was outstanding as a scrum-half, too, through all the years we had success.”

Given the plethora of class operators in that side – New Zealand Test centre Prohm finished with 25 tries – and variety of their play, it was perhaps surprising the East Yorkshire club did not go on and dominate the English game for longer.

They retained the league the following season – a fifth title victory – and, though losing the Premiership final, did win the John Player Special Trophy.

But few then would have thought, fully four decades on, that would have been Rovers’ last major piece of silverware.

It was Wigan, of course, who arrived in the mid-80s to take full charge and Hull KR have never reached those dizzy heights since.

Kelly, 53, said: “I think we had a cycle where – though we didn’t win every trophy – when I look at my bag of medals at home there is plenty: back-to-back Championships, John Player Trophy winners, Premiership winners and Yorkshire Cup winners.

“That ‘83-84 season – 30 years ago now – heralded the start of that. It didn’t go on to create a dynasty as such but we were a top side.

“Where Wigan took over was they brought themselves into the professional era and became almost full-time. And then played that way.”

For Kelly, however, he has nothing but fond memories of his time at Craven Park, where he spent six seasons and earned England recognition before returning to Belle Vue.

“I’d joined Hull KR in ‘82,” he added. “Unfortunately my father had died a couple of months before so that initially delayed the signing of the contract.

“I was 21 at the time and had just started having a bit of success with Wakefield but then we got relegated.

“That wasn’t the motivation for the move – I think they needed some cash and I was probably their most saleable asset.

“But in terms of developing me as a player and success in the game, that switch to Rovers could not have gone any better.”

On Millward, the brilliant stand-off who scored a club record 207 tries for Hull KR and was part of the last Great Britain side to win an Ashes tour in 1970, he said: “Roger was a demanding coach.

“He had a squad of players who put pressure on people so we had to perform.

“He was very good tactically and technically and the way he built the chemistry of the team was excellent.

“He was certainly one of the best coaches I ever played under.”

Kelly, who scored seven tries in 28 Rovers appearances in ‘83-84, went on himself to coach, memorably leading hometown Trinity in to Super League in 1998.

He also had spells with Gateshead Thunder, Featherstone Rovers, Dewsbury Rams and Ireland before helping the RFL develop the sport in the north-east.

Kelly starts work as Huddersfield Giants head of youth performance next month.