Willie Peters hopes to end Hull KR's wait for trophy after ‘adversity' of past
Peters was just 20 years old when he made the decision to jet halfway around the world in 1999 to escape the suffocating expectations of Australia's NRL and link up with Gateshead Thunder for their first and only top-tier campaign.
Just seven years later, and after a brief spell at Wigan that included an appearance in the 2000 Grand Final defeat to St Helens, Peters was forced to admit defeat in his battle against persistent hamstring injuries, and retired as a player at the age of just 26.
Peters' subsequent trajectory as a coach, having started in the sponsorship department of South Sydney Rabbitohs, is somewhat mirrored by the rise of Rovers, who had been languishing in administration in the Northern Ford Premiership in the same year that he made his Super League bow.
Welded together since 2023, when he replaced the departed Tony Smith in the east Hull hot-seat, Peters and Rovers have forged a formidable partnership, rising to the top of Super League on the back of last season's Grand Final defeat to Wigan, and setting up another chance to end almost half a century of hurt when they face Warrington this weekend.
'I was forced to finish at 26 and I probably didn't have the playing career I wanted to have,' conceded Peters. 'There were lots of regrets there, but I took my time to be grateful for what I did, playing first grade in the NRL and Super League.
'I think that's probably helped me as a coach, being able to talk to the players about gratitude and what it looks like. There's no doubt when you go through adversity and you see someone else who is hurting or vulnerable, you can help others.'
Still a relative unknown when he arrived at Craven Park in 2023, Peters had began harbouring hopes of making it as a top-level coach even before he had been forced to come to terms with the fact that his playing days were over.
Having spent six years as an assistant in the NRL, Peters' first number one role brought almost immediate success, as Rovers confounded most expectations by finishing fourth and reaching the Challenge Cup final, which they lost in heart-breaking fashion on golden point to Leigh.
'Life has a funny way of working out, and what you put into it you get back,' added Peters. 'I always wanted to get into coaching, but I probably got rushed into it a little bit after playing, and I wanted to start at the bottom and work my way up.
'I don't think that I didn't fulfil my potential as a player, but I had some setbacks that limited me in getting where I wanted to get to. That has put me in good stead to relate to people with injuries, and understand what these guys are going through.'
A quarter of a century on from his single season in the north-east – a move Peters maintains was 'the best move I ever made' – the trajectories have switched, as Rovers reign over Super League while the remnants of the Gateshead club – now Newcastle – languish winless at the foot of League One.
During his short stint in the role, which has already reportedly attracted attention back in the NRL, Peters has seen enough to resist making major chances to the pre-final process that took them to within a drop goal of snatching long-awaited silverware in 2023.
'After the game last time when we reflected there wasn't a great deal we would have changed,' added Peters. 'It's just making sure we control those things we can control. We've learned a lot from last year and the year before. It is going to be whoever turns up on the day.'
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3 hours ago
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Redemption would be swift for Burgess if he can inspire a side riddled with injury concerns to see off the current Super League leaders and erase the memory of last year's miserable 18-8 final defeat to Wigan. Meanwhile Peters has the lingering memories of Rovers' heartbreaking 2023 final loss to Leigh to erase, not to mention a 40-year trophyless streak to explode as his side look to live up to their deserved billing as heavy favourites. For Burgess, the current campaign has come in stark contrast to his successful debut season as a Super League coach, with injuries ravaging the Wolves spine and inconsistency leaving them languishing in eighth place in the table, but it has presented a challenge he has relished. 'This year has been enjoyable because I've learned a lot more,' said Burgess, who has resisted speculation that he is set for a swift return to Australia's NRL, insisting he is committed to seeing out his current contract with Warrington which expires in 2026. 'This year has been different to the first year. The first year was smooth sailing, but this year has been challenging with a number of things on and off the field. 'I've had to make some hard decisions and lost some key players at key times, and really had to think about coaching and different strategies. I think the group has learned a little bit more together as well, and this weekend is another chance for us to go as a group.' Captain George Williams has declared himself fit to return less than eight weeks after undergoing ankle surgery, but the respective absences through injury of hooker Danny Walker and winger Matty Ashton represent a major blow to Warrington's hopes of clinching a first title since 2019. Mindful of the way in which his side fell flat in last year's showpiece, Burgess is coy about the changes he has made in a bid to get his hands on the trophy for the first time as either a coach or a player, having fallen short of Wembley in his early-career stint with Bradford Bulls. 'I've changed a couple of things that I learned from last year,' said Burgess, who also refused to be drawn on what it would mean for him to add a Challenge Cup success to his CV at a relatively early stage in his coaching career. 'There's a lot of work to be done between now and the final whistle, so I try not to live that fantasy life,' said Burgess. 'I try and stay in the present. It's probably best asking what it means after the game. But any chance of winning silverware is important.' Rovers boss Peters has told his players to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with being the domestic game's pre-eminent force, with the club having scarcely looked back since Lachlan Lam's drop-goal denied them their long-awaited triumph in 2023. East Hull has been awash with reminders that it is four decades since the Robins last lifted major honours, and Peters, who has immersed himself in the club and its community since he arrived as a relatively little-known head coach in 2023, is under no illusions about what a win would mean. 'I don't think about what it would mean for me, but I think it about the effect it will have on our club,' said Peters. 'The people involved can be legends of this club for a long time, so that excites me. What would excite me would be being in a WhatsApp group for the next 30 or 40 years with the guys who won a Challenge Cup, and being able to come back and meet up. 'We are a community club. I have always said our sole aim is to make our community proud, and we have got the chance to do that this weekend.' Peters admitted glancing back at certain aspects of the 2023 final but has resisted plunging into the negative emotions that followed that loss, pointing out his side's ability to shrug it off almost immediately and finish their domestic campaign on a high. 'I've watched some segments of the (2023) final because I know what I want to use this week, not so much about the emotions but around different actions in the game,' added Peters. 'If you talk about where you want to go, I believe that's a stronger emotion, so that's what I will be tapping into.'
