Willie Peters has revealed that “genuine injuries” are the reason his side is so heavily rotated this week, as Hull KR take a weakened squad to face Wigan Warriors.
Peters and the Robins have received backlash after their 21-man squad featured mostly reserves and academy players, but the boss has insisted he didn’t have a lot of choice.
Injuries and suspensions picked up over the past few weeks have taken their toll, with the head coach stating that only three players are being rested – the remaining absentees are all down to injuries.
As a result, it has forced Peters to call out the fixture congestion his side has faced, with four games in 15 days taking its toll after what has already been a gruelling season.
He told the press today [Wednesday]: “As I said, after last week’s game, we had a few injuries, and some players have played pretty much every minute of every game this year.
“There’s probably three there that we’re trying to rest. We’ve had some soft tissue injuries, which we pride ourselves on not having. When [playing] loads can spike, there’s more risk of that.
“Everyone else, pretty much, is injured at the moment. So, it’s not ideal.”
Commenting on those injuries, Dean Hadley has a groin strain, but “hopefully it’s just this week,” the boss said. James Batchelor will be “about three weeks”, whilst Ryan Hampshire will be a month out after having an operation on a fractured wrist.
Tyrone May and Jai Whitbread are “still not right,” whilst Oliver Gildart was set for a return having been named as one of the only experienced Super League players in the side, but he won’t play after failing to get through captain’s run.
Speaking holistically, Peters said: “We’ve just got to get through this period best we can, but as I said, there’s genuine injuries, and there’s probably two or three at the moment that we just need to manage so we don’t potentially get more [injuries].”
The players rested are believed to be Tom Davies, Peta Hiku and Jez Litten, with all three playing the last three full matches – the only slight exception to that is Davies, who had a minor stint off the field for a HIA, which he passed.
Hull KR could hand a number of debuts out tomorrow, as Wigan did in the reverse fixture the week before the Challenge Cup Final.
“Naturally, we’re playing some younger players tomorrow,” Peters explained. “Some of those players are getting a debut. It’s probably a little bit earlier than we anticipated, but it’s a great opportunity for them.
“There’s some other players there that have played some first-team now, and it’ll be a great opportunity for them.
“They’ll bring energy to the group, and that’s what we need at the moment. We need a spark, we need some energy, and they’ll certainly bring that. We’re looking forward to seeing them play and doing the badge proud, which I know they will.
“They’ll do everything they can to make sure that they give their best shot.”
John
August 26, 2026 at 3:15 pm
He can play whoever he wants. The test case was Wigan the week before Wembley and not many of those players rested were due to injuries.
Quite frankly there is a duty of care issue here too with players playing too many matches in too short a period.