Smith sets challenge for next year’s Robins
TONY Smith has challenged Hull KR to make up ground on the top three next year after rating their 2021 season as six out of 10.
Rovers enjoyed their best-ever finish after getting to within 80 minutes of a maiden Grand Final before losing to Catalans Dragons.
The Robins sneaked into the play-offs in sixth, finishing 23.81 per cent - or 11 points - behind thirdplaced Warrington after losing half their games.
That counted for nothing in the play-off eliminator between the sides but closing the gap on Super League’s top teams in the regular campaign is the next step for KR.
“It depends what you’re categorising it on really,” Smith told the Mail. “If you’re comparing it to the previous season or the season before that, it was terrific progress in that respect.
“If we’re going to compare ourselves to everybody else in the competition, we’re still short. We’re under no illusions that we were some way off the top two or three. But that’s our next challenge.
“I’m not so much about comparing ourselves to the previous years. Last year we had all sorts of obstacles and problems that we had to face that were incredibly unique.
“We were in a whole different situation with our resources and what we had available to us.
“It’d be too easy to compare ourselves to the previous season and say, ‘Wasn’t that great?’.
“I think some of the challenges we’ve still got ahead of us are becoming more consistent and winning some of those close games that we had this year that could have gone either way.
“Flipping them over and making them go our way is part of what we need to develop next year.”
Rovers may have come up short in the semifinals of the play-offs but they gained invaluable experience along the way.
Smith is backing his players to kick on again next season, something he believes is necessary after an “OK’ season.
“We’ll all be starting from scratch again so we can’t just say we can pick up where we left off,” said Smith. “Every year is a new year and you’ve got to earn the right, but I’d like to think the players involved this year will understand and learn from some of those games and disappointments.
“That’s a really important part of any rugby league player’s development, or any human being’s development. Our players have got the character to do that. I’m looking forward to next year but if I’m wrapping up this year, we did OK without going crazy about it. I’d probably give us a six out of 10.”