Dean Hadley won’t let being overlooked by Shaun Wane affect what he’s doing in the red and white of Hull KR.
The forward has been one of Rovers’ most impressive performers this season and he did enough to pick up Sky Sports’ man of the match award on Saturday as Willie Peters’ side beat Catalans Dragons 34-6 in the south of France.
Mikey Lewis, Jack Broadbent and Joe Burgess all scored twice, but Hadley’s efforts were still noticed with the middle making 41 tackles and 63 metres during another lengthy stint on the field. That’s a typical afternoon for the KR man and for many, he deserves a spot in this year’s Dream Team.
He hasn’t done enough to catch the eye of England boss Shaun Wane, though, with Hadley being overlooked earlier this month, unlike his teammate James Batchelor, who received his first call up.
Hadley would love to work his way into the England squad of course, but his motivation is playing well for KR and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
“You ask any player if they want to play for their country, that’s the pinnacle,” Hadley told Sky after helping Hull KR to victory in France. “For me, it’s about playing well for Hull KR.
“We’ve got a good squad here and you have to be at it every week to be in the team.
“For me, it’s about doing my job here and that might look different to other people but I like to think I’m doing my job well. I’ve still got a load of improvement in me and that’s what I’m striving to do, every day I keep turning up and trying to get better.
“Obviously I’m not the youngest anymore but I still try to keep improving and as long as I’m doing my job here, that’s all that matters.”
Hull KR move four points clear
Rovers claimed their first win in three on Saturday and with Wigan Warriors losing on home soil to Hull FC earlier on Saturday afternoon, the result pushed them four points clear at the top of the division with eight games remaining.
“Coming off the back of the last couple of weeks it was a massive game tonight and we’ve dug in and got the two points,” Hadley said on the win. “We put in a good performance and a good win.
“For us it’s about what we do. We needed a better performance tonight, it was a good win and obviously a week off next week now so we’re in a decent position but there’s still plenty of rugby to be played yet.”
