James Batchelor outlines why Hull KR are primed to end 40 years of pain

Rovers had just one previous winner in their ranks in Ryan Hall, with George King the only other player to have experienced a Challenge Cup final.

Sixth in Super League at the time, there was a sense of hope rather than expectation as the Robins set off for the capital.

Now, two years on from that agonising golden-point defeat to Leigh Leopards, KR are top of the table with a different mindset altogether, one shaped by painful setbacks and the arrival of hardened campaigners.

After experiencing more heartache in last year's Grand Final, James Batchelor is convinced this time will be different.

"We've got a lot of big-game experience in the group," he said ahead of Saturday's Wembley showdown with Warrington Wolves.

"We might not have won those finals in the last couple of years but we learnt a lot of lessons from them.

"You throw into the mix people who have won big games on both sides of the world and your serial winners like Jared (Waerea-Hargreaves) and Micky (McIlorum). Even if Micky doesn't play, he's at least in the squad and passing on his experiences and what it takes to win these games.

"We've built that experience ourselves but have also added in key bits which I think will be enough to get us over the line."

Rovers very nearly got the job done on their last visit to the national stadium.

After taking the decider to extra time through Matt Parcell's late try, the Robins suffered the agony of watching Lachlan Lam's drop goal sail over to win it for Leigh.

While that moment will act as subconscious fuel, KR have not raked up the past this week.

"There are maybe five or six of us left from that game so you've got another 12 people who that previous game doesn't mean anything to," said Batchelor. "There's no point dragging them into that.

"Personally, I dealt with it mentally at the time and parked it. It will be in the back of my mind as a driving factor but it's not something I'm thinking about in the build-up.

"If you look at that final, from what I can remember of it, we didn't lose it by not having a dig. There were just moments in the game that we didn't nail. When your moment comes, you've got to nail it.

"It's there and you lived through it but I imagine it would just make it taste sweeter if we did manage to get over the line this week."

From each setback comes a lesson, in Batchelor's case to stick with the mental approach that got him here.

"Earlier in the week, I probably felt it a bit more and was almost overexcited," he recalled.

"Now I've learnt that if you do that, you can drain yourself too early. You've got to stay calm and do the things you'd normally do.

"When it's time to flick that switch, you flick it. You can't play the game too early in your head.

"Last time I was thinking about what the atmosphere was going to be like and what the day was going to look like. I've been there now and know what to expect."

Standing between Hull KR and a first major trophy since 1985 are Warrington, an unpredictable team capable of turning it on when it matters most.

Warrington have lacked consistency in Super League but boast proven big-game players in the likes of George Williams and Marc Sneyd.

"A lot of that has probably been down to not having those match-winners, as you called them, on the field at the same time," said Batchelor, who is set to move back to the centres after scoring a double from there in the semi-finals.

"We're preparing for all of them to be at their best and for this to be our toughest game of the season.

"We're expecting the best version of Warrington to turn up and we've got to be on as well to beat them.

"I'm confident we will but I don't want that to be mistaken as arrogance. We're confident because we know what we've got internally in the group – the qualities we have and what we value."

Having collected double Warrington's points in the first half of the campaign, KR’s belief is well placed.

Victory at Wembley this weekend would see Peters' team join the club's 1980 Challenge Cup winners in the pantheon of Rovers legends.

"It would mean everything," said Batchelor.

"It would be special on a personal level to go and get that first piece of silverware and hopefully kick on.

"I feel at home here and love the club. It feels like my club now so that would make it extra special.

"Everyone will have their own reasons individually. It'd be for every member of the team who will take the field, every member of the squad, the people who work at the club, Neil Hudgell especially and the supporters for what they've been through. Whether they're 20 years old or 60 years old, they've been through a fair bit.

"We've got a lot of people that we want to go and make happy."