Hull KR are ‘not in that top echelon’ of teams in 2026 in the opinion of their coach Willie Peters, however, he’s offered his thoughts on how they can return there whilst also silencing any questions with a blunt three-word response when asked if his side has run out of gas in 2026.
The Robins are coming off the back of a 34-6 loss to Leeds Rhinos with that being the second time that Brad Arthur’s side have comfortably defeated Hull KR in 2026, whilst also being their fourth straight victory in the fixture.
Defeat at Headingly and results elsewhere ensured that Hull KR slipped to sixth, just two points clear of play-off-chasing Leigh Leopards and Peters has now spoken on how he views the club in 2026, compared to their treble-winning campaign of 2025.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, Peters admitted: “The benchmark are Leeds and the benchmark are Wigan.
“We’re still going to be the hunted because we’ve we won the competition last year and the treble last year but probably to a lesser extent in terms of teams are probably saying Leeds and Wigan as the teams to beat.”
Peters added: “We’re certainly not in that top echelon of teams this year at the moment in terms of performance or obviously on the ladder.
“We’re not far off in terms of points and last week we were third, now we go back down to six, but that’s how tight it is and that’s that’s the competition you want.”
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Hull KR coach responds to whether his side are ‘out of gas’
In terms of remedying their league position and finding some new form, Peters explained that it isn’t a case of making wholesale changes, simply a return to what they know works.
The Australian said: “We need to make sure that we that we change a few things and when I say change things, go back to doing what we value, because it’s that’s what’s got us in a very strong position before and I know that I’ll do that again.
“We need to we need to be playing for for 80 minutes. I don’t think we’ve had too many 80 minute performances and that’s probably been the difference this year.”
For some fans, both of Hull KR or of rival clubs, they’ve posited that the Robins have simply run out of gas with the 2025 treble and their difficult early-season schedule that included a World Club Challenge and a trip to Vegas catching up to them.
When asked about fans holding that belief, Peters bluntly responded: “That’s their opinion.”
Instead, he’s more focused on what’s to come and that’s the derby and despite the game being part of Magic Weekend, Peters refused to be drawn into whether this was a bigger or more important game than any other.
“They’re all important. It’s the next one, that’s why. They’re all important.”
