How Willie Peters went from Wigan Grand Finalist to leading Hull KR’s play-off dreams

Hull Kingston Rovers head coach Willie Peters is on a journey that is entering an exciting phase. Rovers’ side are currently knocking on the door of a place in the top two of Super League. Sitting in Craven Park, working alongside his coaching staff – who have their heads down, focused on their laptops – they are plotting a path that could lead to a Super League play-off semi-final at home. Leeds Rhinos away is the next test.

Expectations are building around this club. They have competition from traditional heavyweights such as Wigan and St Helens. And the recent plight of their next opponents, Leeds – a huge club in the sport now struggling to stay in touch with the play-off zone – shows just how hard it is to achieve success. But Peters is in no mood to lower expectations as we discuss his life and times and how we got to this point today. Ambition clearly burns within him.

Read more: How Hull KR rose to a formidable challenge with Leeds Rhinos to test the old friends’ plan

“I wouldn’t have come to this club and taken the job and brought my family across the other side of the world if I hadn’t felt and believed we could do something,” says Peters, although he knows the competition must to have complied, adding: “We’re definitely going in the right direction, but it’s very different to go to that next level. Teams are recruiting well, so you can never be complacent.”

Peters was raised in Australia, but feels the East Hull vibe, wants to reflect it. “We’re in an area, East Hull, where a lot of people work hard,” says the Rovers head coach. “People aren’t just given stuff, people have to work for it. That’s who we are. We want to be a team that likes to grind, that likes to graft hard. Why? Because our fan base is full of that. We’ll know always what our DNA is about.”

This was, not so long ago, a club that had to focus on avoiding relegation. These days, it wouldn’t be out of place to discuss whether he could have a crack at a Super League grand final. Peters tasted that he already has a player; when, aged 21, he played in Wigan’s 2000 grand final with St Helens. A star-studded Saints squad – Chris Joynt, Paul Wellens, Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham, Paul Sculthorpe etc. – outscored them, 29-16, that day.

One of the men sitting next to him in Craven Park now – Rovers assistant manager Dave Hodgson – was alongside Peters in the Wigan starting line-up that day too and scored a try. How fitting it would be if together they turned that bitter Old Trafford experience as teammates into a sweet one as coaches.

“I came here as a boy and came back as a man,” says Peters, reflecting on his time in England as a player. “It taught me a lot about life and to understand that there is a big, bad world out there! In my year at Wigan, I played with some great players, with some great leaders. Andy Farrell was one of the best leaders that we’ve had. I’ve worked with Sam Burgess (at South Sydney) I knew Faz was going to be a coach.

“But that Wigan team I played with, it was Kris Radlinski, Jason Robinson, Gary Connolly, Denis Betts, Terry O’Connor, Steve Renouf, Brett Dallas… it was an amazing team. We made a grand final and even today it’s hard to accept. You never want to miss the grand final.”

However, Wigan’s culture helped shape Peters into the man he is today. “I learned about hard work – if you want to succeed in life, the magic formula is that you have to work hard first,” he says.

Wigan was just one stop in a playing career that was eventually cut short early by injury. “I’ve always wanted to coach – for me, it’s the dream job,” says Peters. “As a player I was thrown in early and finished early after injury problems – and I didn’t want to do that with the coach. I wanted to take my time. I went from Under 16s, then Under 18s, Under 20s and then to an assistant”.

Being an assistant coach at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Newcastle Knights in the NRL prepared him for the Robins top coaching job. Reflecting on the switch to male coaches instead of juniors, Peters explains: “The grown men will challenge you a bit more because they have an opinion, they’ve seen it and done it, with experience. You must have an opinion. why you do things and you have to have a vision.”

On his vision and philosophy, he says, “I’ve worked with some amazing coaches; Wayne Bennett, one of the best ever, Anthony Seibold, Adam O’Brien, John Lang, Jason Demetriou, Dave Furner, John Cartwright… But you always have to have your own philosophy, because there’s no point in being somebody else.

“I want to build strong relationships and that builds trust. You have to really care about the players. I’m their coach and I have to make some tough decisions, but the main thing is that there’s a strong enough relationship that we can be honest, I’m not one to play massive mind games.

“I want the players to play with freedom, to play what they see, but you have to have reasons why you do it. I don’t like to have too much structure.

“If the effort is there, the fans see it. We’re not always going to win every game, but if we show that we compete every game and give our best, these fans are very loyal.”

This has been there to see in abundance among the Rovers ranks recently – as well as improved fitness and a generally connected and efficient side. The question is how far their mix of attributes can take them now.

“Originally, our goal was to make our community proud,” says Peters. “Then naturally you will set targets as a club. And people are talking about being a top four club. And everyone is in it to win silver. A lot will happen before that, but the main thing for me is to develop players.”

Many of these developments have already unfolded before our eyes. They were there to see in the runs to the Challenge Cup final and play-off semi-finals last year. There is still a long way to go and it will be far from easy. But if this continues, Peters and Hodgson could soon be dreaming of a happier Old Trafford experience together.

click here – Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel