Hull KR head coach Willie Peters says that he will have to have a look at the Super League table and work out the permutations before he decides what side he will line up in round 27.
The Robins defeated Huddersfield 36-6 to secure their place in the top six but Leigh’s win over St Helens has ensured that Hull KR can’t finish fourth, and therefore cannot secure a home play-off game.
Instead, they will finish either fifth or sixth and they will have to travel to one of Warrington, Wakefield, or Leigh, in round one of the play-offs following next week’s game against St Helens.
Asked how he will approach that game at Saints, Peters told Sky Sports: “I’ll have a look at that, but at the moment, it’s about this game.
“To be honest, I need to look at the ladder. I need to see different scenarios, whether we can finish fourth, if we can’t, whether we finish fifth.
“I need to have a look at all of that but the main priority was winning today, and now we’ll focus on next week and make sure we put a good performance in next week.”
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Willie Peters expresses pride in coaching Hull KR after final Craven Park clash
Of course Peters had rested plenty last week against Wigan to ensure that his top players were fit and ready for this game, a game where he knew a win would secure a top six finish – something that meant big pressure.
On that, he said: “There’s pressure every week in the Super League and it’s how you handle it. At times this year we’ve handled it well, and other times we haven’t.
“Obviously, this was a really, really important game. Regardless of the result between Leigh and St Helens, it was important that we won this game and put a performance in and I thought we did that.
“I know the score ended up being 36-6, but Huddersfield didn’t play bad. They kept coming and they had won the last six from seven, so we knew what we were up against, and we knew we had to play well.”
Speaking more on the performance, he said: “I thought we started really well, and then we went away from what was working. So that’s the area where we need to be ruthless, is sticking to what works, and don’t get bored of it and I thought we did that.
“Defensively overall, except for that try, I thought we worked hard, or they worked hard for each other, the players. So, look, there was a fair bit to like, so I’m happy with it.”
With it being his final game at home as Hull KR head coach, Peters conceded that he did get a bit emotional, stating: “Driving in, I’ve got a routine that I do coming in. It’s the last time that I’ll be coaching here in the box at Craven Park, so I’ve been the proudest coach for four years of coaching this wonderful team and club.
“I’m really proud of that. It’s been a hell of a journey, and hopefully it’s not finished yet. I’m really proud to be coaching this club. I’ve always said that. Last opportunity tonight at Craven Park, but hopefully there’s a little bit more.”
