Willie Peters could find himself with something of selection headache next week as Hull KR approach their round three clash with Salford Red Devils.
The Robins were made to dig deep on Thursday night by Wakefield Trinity, but they had enough to get the win with efforts from Tom Davies and Mikey Lewis, and some fine kicking from Rhyse Martin, seeing them over the line. However, it seems the win at Belle Vue came at a price with star man Lewis leaving the ground on crutches.
Lewis seemed to injure his ankle in the act of scoring his try in the second half of the contest and while he battled on for 10 minutes or so, he was eventually withdrawn from the action. Peters wasn’t able to give too much of an update on the reigning Man of Steel after the contest but supporters will be fearing that Lewis is set for a lay-off.
To make matters worse for Rovers, Tyrone May missed the game at Wakefield due to a hamstring issue and it seems as though he could be set to sit out of next week’s game as well.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at four makeshift half-back options Peters might find himself mulling over.
Danny Richardson
The positive is that Hull KR were able to recall Richardson before he represented Huddersfield Giants at Leigh Leopards this Sunday. The scrum-half had been on loan with the Giants, but he was recalled earlier this week following May’s issue.
As such, he will be eligible to take on Salford next Thursday and it will come as a big boost for Peters to have at least one specialist pivot in place. Richardson will be feeling relatively sharp, too, having picked up 80 minutes for the Giants against Warrington Wolves last Sunday.
Peta Hiku
Hiku was the man chosen to play in the halves in May’s absence at Wakefield and while he’s far from a natural in the position, his ability to play full-back stands him in relatively good stead. Of course, he’s a centre by trade but he held his own in the pivots on Thursday night and while Lewis took on much of the responsibility, Hiku had his moments, too.
The New Zealand international was more of a running threat than anything else, but he filled in well and Peters will be looking at him as an option to face the Red Devils.
Jack Broadbent
Broadbent is arguably one of the most versatile players within the Robins’ squad, with the 23-year-old being seen at centre, wing and full-back during his stint at Craven Park so far. However, he has more strings to his bow and over the course of his career he has played at hooker and, more importantly, stand-off.
According to Rugby League Project, he has made 10 outings in the halves, with two of those coming at Leeds Rhinos before featuring there on eight occasions over the 2023 season for Castleford Tigers. It’s not his natural position, of course, but it’s one he is relatively familiar with should Peters need him to do a job.
Jez Litten
Like Broadbent, Litten does have experience of playing in the halves and he has stepped in there for KR on seven occasions in the past. His last half-back showing came in March last year as the Robins beat Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup, with his other showings there being spread over his stint as a Hull KR player.
The availability of Micky McIlorum, assuming he avoids further punishment for the head contact that saw his sin-binned late on against Wakefield, and Bill Leyland, ensures Litten would have cover at hooker and Peters knows he is more than capable of playing that role on a short-term basis at least.
We hold on for the WIN 👊#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/eEn037bm0j
— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) February 20, 2025
