Hull KR v Bradford Bulls: Willie Peters aims north after encouraging derby win

Last week, their leaders made sure it did not drown them out.

The Super League champions crossed the river with their season on a knife-edge; they left the MKM Stadium with the shot in the arm they badly needed.

At the heart of the crucial win over Hull FC were Willie Peters' trusty lieutenants, marshalled by captain Elliot Minchella.

Rovers are not suddenly back to their best but they have something to cling to with eight games of the regular campaign remaining.

"It's very encouraging," said Peters.

"When you're going through some challenging times, your leaders need to step up and stand up. I thought they did that last week.

"We have leadership meetings every Monday and give feedback on the week before. I highlighted that I was really happy with the way they led last week through some challenging stages and different things that were being said about the club, the team and individuals. They stood up.

"We've got to do it again this week."

A third victory of the year over their fiercest rivals eased some of the pressure but the Robins remain precariously placed ahead of tonight's clash with Bradford Bulls.

That they are back in charge of their own destiny on their return to Craven Park – where they recently lost their long unbeaten home record – is down to the character shown in the heat of a derby.

"I said before the game that I thought it was the perfect game for us – a derby with a massive crowd and high energy," recalled Peters. "The game was physical with a lot of intent.

"Not that you want to go down 12-0 after eight minutes but how we came back shows there's still a lot of fight in us and that there was a lot of belief and composure.

"We're back at home this week in front of our home fans. In terms of how loud they were last week, I thought they were exceptional, even at 12-0 down. Sometimes players and fans can get a little bit nervous but the fans got louder when we needed them the most.

"We owe them one this weekend. We played Wakefield a couple of weeks back and it wasn't a KR performance so we certainly owe them a performance. That's what we're aiming to do."

With only points difference separating Rovers from seventh-placed St Helens, there is little room for error.

Peters has only one thing on his mind this week.

"For us, it's about chasing improvement," said the Australian, who is without Mikey Lewis, Arthur Mourgue and Jesse Sue. "That's what we need to look at.

"Bradford have got their own challenges, like every team at the moment. Of course, we preview Bradford and where their strengths are and where we think we can exploit but it's mainly about us.

"We need to make sure we get our end right again and that we keep improving. At the back end of the year where we're going into now, we've got to be going north in terms of improvement.

"If you do that, you get the points and find yourselves in a better position on the ladder."

While the Robins have designs on the play-offs and another Old Trafford bid, Bradford appear to have little to play for on the face of it.

That theory does not sit well with Kurt Haggerty, who is determined to savour the club's first season back in Super League.

"Every game is still massive for us, absolutely massive," said the Bulls boss.

"We're not on countdown. The energy in training is still as good as it was the first week of Super League. That just shows where the group is at.

"It's never through lack of effort. The intensity and energy are still there for us."

Bradford do not need reminding about Hull KR's ruthless edge after going down 48-12 with a heavily depleted team on home soil in April.

Injuries have continued to hinder their progress but they remain unflinchingly bullish.

The Super League newcomers go into every game believing they will win – and a challenging assignment at Craven Park is no different.

"They've just started to hit form again," acknowledged Haggerty.

"To go to Hull KR is a difficult prospect at the best of times. I believe they're down a couple of bodies themselves but ultimately they're still the champions, world champions and they're extremely good at home.

"We know the challenge we're facing but it's the same as every week – we've prepped to win. We've got some things we think we can expose them with and are really excited."