Mikey Lewis has unteachable qualities but he still has plenty of room for improvement as a player, says Hull KR head coach Willie Peters.
Lewis is in the running to win a second straight Man of Steel award after another impressive season at Craven Park. The half-back has not only recorded 19 tries and 28 assists this season, he’s also managed to kick the match winning points from the touch line in the Challenge Cup final and get his hands on the League Leaders’ Shield.
His season could yet end with a third medal around his neck, with Hull KR just 80 minutes away from reaching another Grand Final. Of course, the Robins have to see off St Helens this evening for the right to walk out at Old Trafford, but if they are victorious tonight, Lewis will likely be at the heart of their performance.
Indeed, it’s been a special year for the half-back who is still only 24-years-old and last week he was rewarded with a new five-year deal, ensuring he will be doing his thing in east Hull until 2030 at the very least.
It’s understood that the deal doesn’t include an NRL clause and with clubs down under known to have been sniffing, that’s a huge shot in the arm for KR moving forward. Peters believes it’s a boost for Super League too though, with Lewis committing to the competition as he continues to grow and develop towards his peak years.
“Obviously it’s huge for us but it’s massive for the game in general over here,” Peters said on his star playmaker. “To lose players to the NRL and at the moment they’re getting more teams over there so there’s going to be more interest in players over here.
“To keep players like Mikey Lewis here, it’s massive for the game over here. He’s committed to the club for five years, he’s a father now and he’s growing as a person all the time. I think that was a major part of the decision as well as he loves the club and wants to be here. He said it, he wants to leave a legacy of his own.
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“The growth off the field and what his responsibilities are help make that decision easier for him. He’s here for the right reasons, that’s for sure.
“I still think there’s a lot of growth for him. Mikey is growing as a player all the time but the thing with Mikey is, you can’t teach what he’s got, but you can certainly learn what others have got.
“Nathan Cleary and players like that are extraordinary game managers, they just know how to come up with the big plays, play for play and have a reason for what they do. Mikey is certainly improving there. If he’s obsessed to get better, who knows where his ceiling is.
“There’s things in Mikey’s game you can’t teach but there’s things he can learn and that’s just studying the game, studying the players, talking to different people, possibly going to other organisations and seeing what other players are doing. If he wants to grow and develop then he’ll get better.”
Willie Peters on Hull KR clash with St Helens
Peters’ comments came ahead of this evening’s contest against the Saints, who secured their spot in the final four in the most dramatic way possible, with a last gasp Shane Wright try after the hooter.
Such a win will obviously have a rousing impact on Paul Wellens’ side and Rovers will be wary of that, but it won’t stop the Yorkshire side from doing whatever it takes to book their spot at Old Trafford as they hunt down a treble.
“We just want to go out and play our style and do what we’ve done consistently all year and I think that’s the most important thing for us,” Peters added, previewing the contest. “It’s the semi-final so we have to make sure that we’re happy to win the game in the last second or whatever it was that they won the game.
“The important part is when you’re playing in big games, it’s not about trying to win the game in the first 10 minutes, that’s not how semi-finals are won, you have to build games and be prepared to win, similar to what we did in the Challenge Cup.
“There’s the mental side and mentality that you need to approach the game and we’re certainly doing that.”
