CRIKEY LEWIS
The rapid rise of Hull KR star Mikey
TEN weeks ago Mikey Lewis was running out in the Championship against Swinton Lions.
Tonight the half-back goes into the Dragons’ den in Perpignan, hoping to steer Hull KR to their first Super League Grand Final against Catalans.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the talented 20-year-old, whose brilliant individual try was one of the highlights of the Robins’ stunning 19-0 win at Warrington last week.
Lewis has spent two loan spells with York City Knights this season as coach Tony Smith looked to fine-tune areas of his game and prepare him for the top flight.
“We had our talks about the things I needed to work on and I couldn’t disagree with anything he said because it was true,” said Lewis. “I wanted to go away and just enjoy playing, that’s the biggest thing at my age, to play with a smile on my face.
“I didn’t sulk one bit, I enjoyed my time at York and got the chance to play.
“It wasn’t the way I wanted to start the year but obviously it was good to get some game-time.
“I went there on a couple of occasions, kept my head down and worked hard. It made me hungry not just to prove to Tony and the coaching staff but to myself that I could do it at the top level.
“When I got my chance I took it with two hands.”
Lewis has certainly done that, proving the perfect foil to playmaking half-back partner Jordan Abdull (above) as the Robins have defied the odds to extend their season past the likes of Wigan, Warrington and city rivals Hull FC.
Few gave their injury-hit side a chance at the Wolves last Friday and Lewis knows it will be the same again in France tonight.
But he added: “Last week we talked about having that belief and going out and expressing ourselves. We weren’t listening to anything outside, we just knew we had to go out and put a performance on.
“It wasn’t pitch perfect but we did things better than Warrington and we were all around each other if little things went wrong. We out-enthused them and the main part was playing the game at our speed.
“The belief in our team was immense – we knew it was going to be difficult but that we had the talent in the squad to get over the line. If we have that belief and energy we had against Warrington, then that will take us far no matter what team we’re playing.
“We just want to play well, do our jobs and what Tony has told us will take us far.”