Jez Litten opens up on his 2024 Hull KR frustration, Bill Leyland and Micky McIlorum

Hull KR hooker Jez Litten admits he was frustrated by the role he played in the Robins’ charge to last season’s Super League Grand Final.

Litten made 30 appearances for KR in 2024 as the club finished second in the league table and progressed to the final game of the Super League season for the very first time. However, after starting 17 of KR’s first 19 games, Litten spent most of the second half of the campaign coming off the Rovers bench.

In fact, he made just one start in the club’s final 13 matches with Matt Parcell taking on Willie Peters’ number nine mantle. Litten featured in all those games but he did so as an interchange, regularly stepping off the bench after the interval to provide fresh legs and impetus.

Like everyone at Craven Park, the England international enjoyed a season to remember, but he wasn’t especially pleased with the role he ended up playing and he’ll be keen to play more minutes in 2025.

“You want to play every game and every minute and in a good team it’s tough to do that,” Litten told Serious About RL. “If I wasn’t frustrated then there would be something wrong.

“When you’re playing in the biggest games you want to play every minute but I understood the position I was in and I just tried to do my best when I was out there with the boys.

“I sort of knew the situation. We were winning and it was a strong team so we kept that team and I was just trying to do the best I could when I came on and do my job.

“In the past two years we’ve had Wembley and the Grand Final so hopefully it’s third time lucky for us and all the boys are chomping at the bit. We know how good we are as a team we just need to do it now.”

Parcell has now left Hull KR, of course, but the Australian has been replaced by Micky McIlorum and Bill Leyland with the pair arriving ahead of the new season. McIlorum is in the twilight of his career and brings vital experience having seen and done it all as a player.

Leyland, on the other hand, is just starting out and joins the club after impressing in the colours of London Broncos. Litten will be competing with the pair for a spot in the side in 2025, with all three players being included in Peters’ 21-man squad to take on Castleford Tigers this evening.

“I think they’re both different,” Litten said about his new teammates. “Bill is a bit more like Matty, strong and direct, and Micky is just an out and out tough player and a smart player as well. I’m learning off both of them and we’re all different in our own ways so we can all bring different things to the team.

“Bill is only a young kid but he’s come in and ran well. His strength is being direct and I think he has brought that and Micky has got so much experience in big games and won trophies so I think he’s sort of adding his bit into it as well.”