Hull KR just getting started but there will be casualties in pursuit of success - James O'Brien comment

Instead, they presented a united front by coming together in a huddle on the pitch as Wigan Warriors celebrated reaching a 12th Super League Grand Final.

Mikey Lewis delivered a rallying cry in full view of an away end that was still packed with KR supporters who stayed to show their appreciation after resisting the urge to escape a 42-12 drubbing.

As painful as it was, the fans have been left convinced that this is just the beginning for the club.

Although he cannot be classed as a senior player at the tender age of 22, Lewis was perhaps the perfect man to deliver the final word on the 2023 season.

The homegrown half-back made his debut at Wigan in August 2019 as a fresh-faced teenager in a team treading water in Super League.

Lewis has been with the Robins every step of the way on their journey from also-rans to genuine contenders.

Now one of the club's longest-serving players, the England hopeful embodies the zeal, passion and ambition of the new Hull KR.

Rovers are not the finished article but have shown enough to suggest they will not go the same way as other clubs that have flirted with success in recent times.

Castleford Tigers, Salford Red Devils and Huddersfield Giants all overachieved before returning to the pack, which should serve as a warning to the Robins.

The key difference between those clubs and Hull KR – aside from the fact that they have shown consistency to reach a final and three semi-finals in two years – is that Rovers are matching the on-field strides in the back offices.

Powerful local businessmen have joined the fight for success – providing acumen as well as funds – and are committed to transforming the Robins into the best-run club in Super League.

There will be bumps in the road and the club will not get every decision right, or indeed the timing.

Fresh from a week off and fuelled by the memory of last year's surprise semi-final defeat by Leeds Rhinos on home soil, Wigan may well have been too good for Rovers even without the background noise surrounding Danny McGuire.

The Warriors made a blistering start and Willie Peters' side could not keep up with them at the end of a gruelling campaign.

Wigan were the best team during the regular season and it will take a special effort from Catalans Dragons to deny them a sixth Super League title at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Robins needed to be at their best but were far from it, which can happen when the tank runs empty against the most elusive players in the competition.

Where Rovers potentially got it wrong was making an important decision that could have waited until the end of the season.

KR felt compelled to tell McGuire, who was under contract for the next two years, that Peters wanted to go in a different direction and assemble his own coaching team following an approach by Castleford.

As it turned out, McGuire did not want the job at Castleford but had already been told by Rovers that the path was clear to go for it.

Although there was an element of fate conspiring against the Robins at the most important stage of the season, future coaching plans were not a pressing matter.

McGuire, who had been with Rovers since 2018 and was a constant presence throughout a transitional period for the club, deserved better.

Peters dismissed the notion that his impending departure had an impact but Saturday's showing was not the Hull KR of 2023.

McGuire is said to be upset with the manner of his exit and will take some time to consider his next move.

Talk of a return to Leeds as an assistant coach persists but for the first time ever, McGuire finds himself out of work.

The 40-year-old could not give Castleford what they needed – a coach ready to get stuck straight into a major rebuilding job.

The situation is further proof that Peters is ruthless and will stop at nothing to deliver success to Hull KR.

Next year's squad – which boasts new signings Peta Hiku, Tyrone May and Oliver Gildart – will be one more in Peters' image but a Wembley trip and a Super League semi-final isn't bad for starters.

Rovers are the new standard-bearers in Yorkshire, which is an achievement in itself for a club that finished bottom only three years ago.

But the ambitious Robins are not satisfied with reaching semi-finals and finals – they want to become Super League heavyweights.

If they find success, there won't be much time spent worrying about the tough decisions they had to make along the way.