Hull KR bounced back from their home defeat against Catalans with a comfortable 24-10 win over rivals Hull FC in an action-packed game that saw four men sent to the sin bin.
One of those was Hull FC’s Brad Fash after the mulleted forward got into an altercation with Hull KR captain Elliot Minchella, who after the game revealed that Fash had used what he described as “underhand tactics”, making a clear insinuation and allegation that Fash had grabbed his testicles.
Minchella told the Hull Daily Mail: “It’s a tough game and it doesn’t need to be made any tougher by doing that. I think there’s a photo doing the rounds of me getting grabbed in a certain area of my body, which is unacceptable in my opinion.”
The photo that Minchella is referencing is incredibly damning for Fash and that, alongside footage of the alleged incident, will certainly be reviewed by the Match Review Panel on Monday when they come to discuss disciplinary matters.
For Willie Peters though, when speaking to BBC Humberside, there was still confusion implying he was yet to speak to his captain about the incident.
Asked about the four yellow cards, Peters zeroed in on Minchellas, noting: “Ah, look, we celebrated an error and then Mini (Elliot Minchella) got sent off the back of that. I don’t know if it was a card, I need to look at it, but it is what it is.
“It’s a derby game and there’s always those cards in derby games. You don’t want to see it.”
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It was a win that restored Hull KR to third in Super League, behind Warrington Wolves on just points difference. Willie Peters’ side missed the opportunity to go second outright last week when they fell to Catalans in golden point.
However, second place looks to be even more important this season with the race for the League Leaders Shield all but over thanks to Wigan’s dominance. Matt Peet’s side are four points clear of Wire and KR with a game in hand.
Sam Tomkins declared on Friday night that everyone else is simply vying for second place and that all-important home playoff semi-final. In beating rivals Hull FC three times this season, Hull KR have picked up a vital six points in the hopes of earning that home semi-final.
They’ve also become the first Hull KR side to win three in a calendar year against their rivals, something Willie Peters acknowledged but quickly moved on from, highlighting the club’s ambitions.
He said: “It’s a really good achievement for us but with no disrespect, we want to do things in this competition, we want to be there in the back end but it’s really nice to get three up on your rival.
“I think we know that they’ve got some injuries and they’re blooding some young players and I thought they handled themselves extremely well. The future for those kids is extremely bright and they fought to the end.”
