Elliot Minchella issues Hull KR early pre-season verdict with Robins ‘wasting no time’

Hull KR skipper Elliot Minchella believes Rovers’ early pre-season standards have been higher than in previous years as they prepare for the 2025 Super League campaign.

Willie Peters’ side have returned to Craven Park with the bit between their teeth after falling agonisingly short in October’s Grand Final at Old Trafford. KR were one of the best teams across the course of the 2024 campaign, but they didn’t have enough to beat Wigan Warriors at the Theatre of Dreams to end their 39-year wait for a major trophy.

Motivation is high then as KR ready themselves for the year ahead and get their third week of pre-season training up and running, with six weeks to go until their pre-season friendly in Amsterdam against York Knights.

Of course, as captain Minchella, who penned a new three-year contract extension last week, is one of those responsible for helping to set the tone over the winter months, but he’s certainly been pleased with what he has seen so far.

“I think one thing I’ve noticed is the starting point is a lot higher than what it was last year,” he said in a video posted on the official Hull KR X page. “We’re coming to the end of week two but where we’ve started, this block of pre-season, has been a lot higher than it has been in previous years.

“Everyone has come back in really good shape, the skill levels have been on and just the mentality around the place, everyone is hungry, everyone wants to achieve something and everyone has come back ready to work. That’s all we can ask for as players, everybody has hit the ground running and they’ve done the work while they’ve been away from the club in the off-season.

“It’s a shorter pre-season and we’ve come back a little bit later but we’re wasting no time, we’re straight into it. It’s been hard work but that’s what you have to do in pre-season and it repays you later on in the year.

“When things get tough you lean on your pre-season and the work you’ve done and that’s what builds the trust in your teammates next to you, knowing you’ve all been through that together and you can get through things in a game together as well. It’s been a really good starting point, we’re only two weeks in but I’m very pleased and it’s good to be back.”