Willie Peters has paid tribute to winger Joe Burgess ahead of his end-of-season departure but the Hull KR boss has insisted that there are still more memories to make.
Speaking to the media last week, Peters reacted to news of the club confirming that Burgess, who was under contract for 2027, would depart Craven Park at the end of the season.
“He’s obviously going to be a huge miss to the club. He’s been outstanding since his arrival,” Peters said.
“He’s a fan favourite, crowd favourite. He’s got a character about him. Certainly, we’ve created a lot of great memories since Joe’s been here and we want to create some more before he leaves.”
Hull KR hope those memories will see a repeat of 2025 and another Grand Final win, with last year’s Old Trafford showdown being capped off by Burgess intercepting and running free to score a try that truly cemented the Robins as Grand Final winners.
When asked about that moment, Peters recalled: “I used to say to him, is there a better sight in rugby league than seeing Joe Burgess out in the clear? And then he went and got that [Grand Final try]. That was a moment that I’ll never forget. Certainly, Joe won’t forget and the fans won’t forget.”
Hull KR boss reflects on three years of Joe Burgess
The Robins boss was also quick to point out other moments, in particular the post-Wembley celebrations when Burgess declared proudly to the packed-out Queen Victoria Square that ‘This city is red and white’.
Peters admitted: “There’s been a number of moments. He’s played a key role in what we’ve done. In other moments, when he said the city is red and white after we’d won at Wembley.
“He’s a character, as we know. He’s good to be around. Players enjoy his company. They enjoy playing with him. As I said, he’ll be missed.”
As well as the flashy tries and the off-field moments, Peters hailed Burgess as a pure competitor with the winger’s effort areas something the Robins boss was keen to highlight.
“We talk about world class effort and competing to win on everything we do. He typifies that,” Peters said before explaining how Burgess often finds himself highlighted for positive unseen moments in review.
“If you have a look at the off the ball movements, we’ve got an action of the week and we like to get as many of those as possible then we select one and Joe’s on that board majority of the time.
“It’s not just based around one thing. It could be him making tackles at marker for example and then getting back behind the ball and saving a try. He just always seems to put himself in the picture.”
Peters recalled an example himself from the 20-16 away win over Leigh, stating: “When we played Leigh earlier on the year, that’s an example there. It was Lachlan Lam that made the break and he was there to save that try. There’s been a lot of moments like that.
“Most people think about Joe scoring his tries and certainly the Grand Final try. That’s how I’ll remember him is the effort off the ball and what he brought there. That’s what we value.”
Burgess is expected to line up on Saturday evening as Hull KR travel to Warrington in an attempt to book a place in the Super League semi-finals.
Hull KR can confirm Joe Burgess will depart the club at the end of the 2026 Betfred Super League season to take up an opportunity with another Super League club.
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