Jordan Abdull embracing Hull KR challenge as he outlines why 2024 is different

The half-back makes the Robins tick when he plays and has not been easily replaceable in times of injury.

Abdull has earned England honours during his second spell with Rovers and flirted with the Man of Steel award, only to be let down by his body.

The 27-year-old's injury struggles have allowed Mikey Lewis to come to the fore and there is fresh competition in the form of Tyrone May, a talented half-back who left his fingerprints all over the Catalans Dragons side that reached Old Trafford last season.

So used to the role of chief playmaker, Abdull has work to do to secure a place in Willie Peters' best team.

"I don't mean it as disrespectful to any of the previous teams but this is the first time going into a new season where I honestly don't know if I'm going to be in that round one team," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"It's a bit of a different situation for me personally because I've almost been guaranteed a spot in the team but it can only be a good thing for the club and how we're going to attack the season as a group.

"We're a team and bigger than any one person. I have to have a big pre-season and fight for a jersey in round one. If I don't get into the team in round one, I need to make sure I'm in a position to attack the people in my spot by testing them in training.

"Once I'm in the team, I've got to make sure I don't end up back out of it. It's a very good selection headache for Willie to have."

Muscle injuries restricted Abdull to 14 appearances in 2023, taking his tally to 55 in four seasons.

After sitting out KR's entire Challenge Cup run culminating in the Wembley defeat to Leigh Leopards, Abdull returned for the final month of the campaign in an unfamiliar bench role.

"It was a bit frustrating, to be honest," he admitted.

"It was hard for me to get my head around the fact I wasn't needed in that starting team. I was probably living in the past a bit and trying to get in the team based on what I did before my injury.

"I've got things I want to achieve in a position I want to play. That's where that selfishness comes in but sometimes you've got to put that to the side and do what's best for the team.

"I never let that frustration come out onto the field. When it's the day of the game, it's all about the team and what I can do to help the team win."

Although he remains very much part of KR's plans, Abdull knows he can leave nothing to chance in pre-season.

Nailing pre-season is a familiar rhetoric around Abdull but steps are being taken to ensure this is not another false dawn.

"The club is managing my workload a bit more than we have in previous years," he said.

"There are kick-catch sessions here and there where I don't need that extra load into my quad and hamstring, whereas previously I would have been doing them and it's a ticking timebomb when you have a niggle.

“The club have been really good. The performance staff and coaching staff understand that we have to do things a little bit differently now.

"We're hoping that's one of the remedies to keeping me on the field for a full season.

"I'm preparing mentally to be able to play a full season next year. I wanted the same thing 12 months ago and it didn't happen but we've taken some precautions to make sure I've got the best chance of being fit for a full season."

One of the club's longest-serving players, Abdull has had a prominent role in KR's rise from relegation candidates to trophy contenders.

The latest recruitment drive – which featured the signings of May, Peta Hiku and Oliver Gildart – has only strengthened Abdull's belief that Rovers will end their long wait for major silverware in 2024.

"For me playing in the halves, I've never been more confident in the squad I've got around me," said Abdull, who returned to the club from London Broncos in 2020.

"We are building something. It started with the off-field stuff and we now have a squad that looks attractive on paper.

"I said a few years ago that the club was on the rise and I feel like we're starting to get to the top of that rise now.

"I firmly believe that if we play like we did last season with a little bit more consistency, there's absolutely no reason why we can't be Challenge Cup winners, Grand Final winners or both."