Hull KR boss Willie Peters talks tough calls and coping with increased expectations

The Australian gave Frankie Halton – one of KR's better performers in 2022 – the green light to leave Craven Park just three months into his first season in charge.

Peters had already overseen a swap deal that saw long-serving full-back Will Dagger replaced by Corey Hall and allowed Will Tate to join Castleford Tigers in another early-season departure.

Before a ball was kicked in 2023, Peters sent Greg Richards to Toulouse Olympique on a season-long loan to signal the end of his stint with the Robins.

No matter the time of year, Peters has shown that he is willing to be ruthless if it means delivering success to Hull KR.

"As a head coach you've got to make decisions," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"The decisions I make are always based on evidence and things that have happened."

There is fresh scrutiny over Peters' decisions after a busy off-season at Craven Park.

Popular assistant coach Danny McGuire has been replaced by former London Broncos and Castleford boss Danny Ward, while Rhys Kennedy was released just 12 months into his contract to make room for Jai Whitbread.

Ethan Ryan and Sam Wood were also moved on and the decision to allow Rowan Milnes to leave has come under the microscope since Jordan Abdull's sudden departure last month.

In the space of 18 months – a period that has seen Lachlan Coote, Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Kane Linnett retire – Peters has quickly discovered that there is much more to coaching than preparing a team for game day.

"Some decisions are made for you and others you have to look at a vision of where you want to go," added Peters.

"Jordan is an example of a decision that is made for you. He felt it was right for him to go to Catalans.

"There are things that people on the outside don't see that you don't need to share publicly. We deal with things behind the scenes."

It says a lot about Peters' mindset and ambition that he refused to settle for a Challenge Cup final appearance and matching the club's best Super League finish of fourth.

Others may have taken the easy option and stuck with what worked in 2023 but Peters identified areas for improvement and acted on it.

"Wardy has had head coach experience before so he's been really good for me," said Peters.

"He understands the decisions you've got to make as a head coach. Me being able to lean on somebody who has been through that helps me because I'm only in my second year as a head coach.

"He's got a really good personality and has fitted in well. They all have.

"Jai was a call that I made and there were reasons behind it. It's not just a call that comes out of the blue. I think he's going to prove to be a really good signing for us."

Should Rovers encounter early difficulties, the high-profile exits will inevitably be scrutinised.

A positive start would quickly quieten any talk about off-season decisions but Peters is not interested in looking back ahead of Thursday's blockbuster opener against cross-city rivals Hull FC.

"You want a strong start no matter what," he said.

"Nobody has played yet so the media need stories. The main stories will come in three or four weeks' time about whether we've had a good start or not.

"To me, the other stuff that goes on is irrelevant. Things have happened and decisions have been made. That's all behind us now and it's about what we want to do on Thursday night. You can judge us after Thursday."

Rovers have lost experience and proven quality in the likes of Kenny-Dowall, Linnett and Abdull but there is excitement about the new additions, chiefly Peta Hiku and Tyrone May.

The expectation levels have only gone up in east Hull as supporters dream about seeing their beloved club win a trophy.

Peters is embracing the pressure of delivering what the fans crave.

"I came over here last year and wasn't shy to talk around where we wanted to get to as a club," he said. "I suppose I put expectations on us straight away.

"I see Hull KR now as a club that's on the rise. We haven't been shy about saying where we want to get to – but we're certainly not there yet.

"What we did last year is very hard to do again and it's even harder to get to that next level.

"We want to improve on last year. If we do that, we're going to be in a really good spot.

"Trophies are extremely hard to get but if we can improve on last year, we are talking about a trophy."