Willie Peters reveals the regrets that fuelled coaching passion with Hull KR reaping the rewards

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has spoken on his journey in rugby league with early adversity helping to shape his coaching career.

The 46-year-old joined Hull KR as their head coach ahead of the 2023 season and it’s fair to say he’s led the Robins right onto the edge of success. A win over Warrington Wolves at Wembley would tip Rovers over the edge and possibly lead to the windfall of wins that they’ve been knocking on the door of.

He guided the club to a Challenge Cup Final in year one and a Grand Final in year two, both games which the club lost narrowly but he insists lessons have been learned from 2023 with KR opting for different travel plans this year as they aim to control the controllables.

Coming through the systems in Australia, Peters was touted as one of the next big things with his South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Craig Coleman anointing him as the next Peter Sterling. One thing Peters could not control was his own injury issues with the playmaker calling time at 26, having spent time in England with Gateshead, Wigan and Widnes, as well Down Under.

Speaking mid-week to the media, Peters recalled the disappointment of ending early and not on his terms as he explained how those ‘regrets’ have helped shape him into the coach he is today, a coach one game away from ending Hull KR’s 40-year trophy drought.

How adversity led Willie Peters to Hull KR and the edge of history

“I finished at 26. I was young,” Peters conceded when speaking at the mid-week Challenge Cup media event.

“I probably didn’t have the career that I wanted to have. There was a lot of regrets there. I hurt my hamstring. There was a lot of stuff but then it took me time to be grateful for what I did.”

On what he was grateful for, he explained: “To actually play first grade in the NRL and play first grade in Super League is a big deal. It’s hard to do. I think that’s probably helped me then as a coach. Being grateful and then talking to the players around with gratitude and what that looks like. You certainly learn a lot.

“I don’t bring up my playing career to them”, he conceded but he does use it to relate to others in his squad.

He explained: “There’s no doubt you go through adversity and you can help others. When you see someone hurting or see someone vulnerable or you see someone going through a negative time in their life, then more often than not you’ve been through it yourself so you can always help.”

You’re a long time retired and when you finish at 26, it’s even longer, and that led Peters towards coaching and he talked about his journey – one that has led him to Wembley on June 7th, hoping to lead Hull KR to Challenge Cup glory.

Peters said: “I wanted to start at the bottom and work my way forward. I was a skills coach for the 16s and 18s. Then I was an assistant coach for the 18s. Then I started my head coaching and went 16s, 18s, 20s, whatever.

“Why did I get into coaching? It was purely around because I love helping people. That was why I got into it. I love the game. That’s helped me and put me in good stead to be able to understand, as I said before, what these guys are going through.”

There’s no doubting Peters’ man management with the likes of Mikey Lewis going to new levels whilst players previously thought of as squad players are now among the competitions very best, former Hull FC man Dean Hadley serving as a prime example.

Victory at Wembley would mark the first silverware for Hull KR in 40 years and you’d imagine that with Willie Peters at the helm, it wouldn’t take them another 40 to win again.

For our community ❤️

Our boys stopped off at Elm Tree Court care home to meet the residents before heading down to London 🫶 📸#UpTheRobins 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/KjRcxMwm31

— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) June 5, 2025