Willie Peters is expected to leave Hull KR at the end of the season to take up the head coach position with Papua New Guinea Chiefs.
The news was broken by Love Rugby League on Thursday and has since been backed up by outlets down under, who are reporting that Peters is set to sign a four-year deal with the Chiefs.
Peters hasn’t signed the contract to take over the NRL’s newest franchise just yet, but all signs point to him being confirmed as the Chiefs’ first ever head coach, with the Rovers boss reportedly informing his KR players and staff about the decision this week.
And, ARL Commission chair Peter V’Landys has all but confirmed the deal, too.
“He’s fully engaged, fully excited,” V’landys told the Daily Telegraph.
“He has got a whole country behind him. We went through a thorough process. We interviewed a number of potential candidates, but Willie has the most potential.
“I saw him first-hand in England with the Kangaroos and he’s a very personable and professional.
“You can see why he has success.”
He added: “Our role was only to ensure that they had a coach. It is now up to Willie and Chammas to determine the roster. They’ve now got a team ready to look at signing players.
“They have the two most important positions (coach and head of football) filled.”
Peters has been with Hull KR since the start of the 2023 season and irrespective of the club’s success over the remainder of the year, he will make the move back down under as a reigning world champion, with KR beating Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Challenge back in February, just a few months after completing the treble.
The Robins take on St Helens this evening at Craven Park and Peters will be asked to comment about PNG and his expected switch.
It should also be noted that Anthony Seibold has been sacked by Manly Sea Eagles this morning following Thursday’s loss to Sydney Roosters. Peters would have undoubtedly been a leading candidate for that role, before taking up the Chiefs opportunity. Leeds Rhinos’ Brad Arthur was also a contender for the PNG job and it would not be a surprise to see him linked to the Sea Eagles position in the coming days and weeks.
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Anonymous
March 27, 2026 at 11:32 am
Knows he fluke it last season with the help of IMG & blatant bent refs. Only 5 rounds in, realised he’s not getting the same helping hand this season & he’s decided to run. A real coach woth real ambition builds a proper legacy/dynasty, this guy’s doing none of that. Good riddance to him.