“There are things I won’t go into publicly” – Willie Peters reveals how Hull KR signing will fit in

Hull KR finally got the half-back replacement that they had been seeking since the departure of Jordan Abull on a loan move to Catalans Dragons, with Challenge Cup winner Ben Reynolds signing for the Robins.

Reynolds had signed for Featherstone Rovers in the off-season with the Championship club making the home-town-hero their captain, but Reynolds has left the Flat Cappers without playing a single league game for them.

Featherstone had released a statement following Reynold’s departure where they seemed to suggest discontent with the move but they clarified that “Hull KR will pay a significant transfer fee”.

Hull KR had space on the cap following Abdull’s loan move to Catalans and since then they’ve been able to add Joe Burgess and Ben Reynolds adding depth and Super League quality om the wing and in the halves.

Speaking to the press today for the first time since confirmation of Reynold’s signing, Willie Peters explained: “We needed to fill that replacement and I think we’ve got a quality player in Ben. We know him well, we played against him many times last year and he got us in that Challenge Cup final.

“He played a key role with Leigh. I know what they think of him and the early signs are that he’s really looking forward to proving himself at our club. I know he’s 110% committed.”

Peters also confirmed that Reynolds had shown a ‘fair bit of commitment’ to Hull KR to make the move happen, asserting that the former Leigh Leopard is keen to prove himself but that there is no rush.

“There are things I won’t go into publicly, but he’s done a fair bit to show his commitment to us. I know he wants to prove himself,” Peters added.

“There’s no rush for Ben. We’ll just take our time with him and then just make sure that we get him right and get him where he needs to be. He’s going to be a key player for us at some stage this season.”

“There’s no rush” – Willie Peters not pressuring Hull KR signing

Pushed further on what role exactly Reynolds will play, the Hull KR boss explained that there are multiple avenues for Reynolds to earn playing time.

“He wants to prove himself and he’ll do whatever it takes to do that,” Peters said.

“Whether that be playing another position as well, I do like to have a half on the bench who can play half and nine as well. So there’s definitely that opportunity for him to be on the track.”

Currently, there is no incentive for Peters to drop either of Tyrone May or Mikey Lewis, both of whom have played very well in the opening two games and without really progressing into third of fourth gear.

Peters confirmed that as of now Reynolds will be behind the duo but he realises that the wear and tear of a Super League season will mean that the 30-year-old takes to the field at some point.

“He knows at the moment where he sits and he’s very comfortable with that. As I said, there’s no rush. We’ll just take our time and at the moment, Mikey and Tyrone are our number one half pairing but as we’ve seen with everything going on at the moment, it can change pretty quickly and rugby league can change very quickly.”