Hull KR boss Willie Peters on balancing success with nurturing next generation

Hull KR boss Willie Peters delivered unprecedented success last year, yet still found himself fielding questions about squad rotation, trust in youth and reliance on a settled core.

In the end, it is hard to argue with three trophies and the greatest season in the club's history.

Peters did turn to younger players in 2025 but Bill Leyland, Noah Booth and Eribe Doro were all plucked from elsewhere.

For all the club's efforts, there is nobody from the academy banging the door down.

Peters is acutely aware of the balance between the relentless demand to win and the longer-term responsibility of nurturing the next generation.

"When I was at the Rabbitohs, I was part of an organisation that produced a hell of a lot of juniors in the space of two or three years," he said. "They were ready and went on to play consistently.

"I understand the importance of development as much as anyone. There's no doubt that we need to focus on and grow our academy.

"It's results-driven as well as thinking about the future. To have sustained success, you need to bring your juniors through. I'm fully aware of that – but you can't play people who aren't up to it."

The debate runs far beyond the romance of seeing a local lad make the big time. In a salary-cap sport, success comes with drawbacks.

Winning drives up value and value drives up wages. Without a conveyor belt of talent, something has to give.

"When you have success, players' contracts go up and you're relying on youth," added Peters.

"We're always thinking about the future but we've got to make sure we're playing players who are ready and deserve it. We train a certain way so we see their habits and understand whether they can handle the step up.

"We've got some work to do with our pathways and have known that for a while. We're certainly looking to bring more young players through."

While the club are doing everything they can internally to improve their production line, structural challenges remain.

"The problem that we have over here is that there isn't a strong reserve set-up," continued Peters. "Younger players have to play in the Championship.

"Someone like Phoenix (Laulu-Togaga'e), he's not with us anymore but he's developed and put himself in a position now to be a quality Super League player. He probably thought he was a first-team player three or four years ago because he was part of a first-team squad.

"We spoke to him about going to League One and being the best player there. Then it was about being a top Championship player, which he proved. Now it's about being a Super League player.

"With the salary cap, he had to look at other opportunities but that was really good for his development because he took his time.

"What we really need to do is have a really, really strong reserve grade that is aligned to the club. That's how you develop players and get your pathways in order."

Laulu-Togaga'e linked up with Catalans Dragons during the off-season, joining the likes of Doro and Leo Tennison on the departure list.

Rovers have continued their policy of recruiting talent from elsewhere, headlined by the double capture of Cobie Wainhouse and Jack Charles from Hull FC.

But there is hope in the shape of academy graduates Louix Gorman, Harvey Horne, Zach Fishwick and Frankie Dearlove.

"I've definitely seen improvement," said Peters. "There are a couple that didn't kick on and they've moved on.

"We could be a club that just puts players in for the sake of it but then are people happy to lose games?

"We've got a few more players starting to knock on the door. Cobie Wainhouse is someone who could be a good Super League player in a couple of years if he keeps his head screwed on. Jack Charles is another one but these guys are only 19. We've had to bring those players in.

"The dream for a lot of coaches is to be part of a system that brings youth through."