Real coup to keep Kenny-dowall at the Robins
THERE will be a sense of relief in the air at Craven Park as Hull KR have finally announced what the future holds for Lachlan Coote, Kane Linnett and captain Shaun Kenny-dowall.
Linnett will be the only one going around again in 2024, and honestly, if you were going to bet on one of the three not hanging their boots up, it would have been him.
For Coote, he will be heading back to Australia with his family at the end of this year, and many thought that pathway was going to be the same for the current Rovers skipper.
However, Kenny-dowall won’t be a player next year but will be staying as the club’s development coach whilst also helping out with Willie Peters’ first team.
It is a major coup for the Robins to be keeping a person who is held in such high esteem and someone who bleeds Red and White.
“I’m honoured to be taking on a new challenge with Hull KR. I really love this club.” That is just a small section of his emotional video that was posted on Social Media on
Tuesday and sums up the relationship between the player, club and supporters in Kennydowall’s case.
Not many overseas players end up staying on in a coaching capacity when they could have landed a similar role back home.
Before we go on to what this move means for the next generation of Robins, now we know SKD and Coote are calling it a day.
That’s an extra motivator to carry on riding the wave and try to lift some silverware before the season is done with.
If any Rovers captain deserves to be pictured lifting a Challenge Cup or Super League trophy, it’s Kennydowall.
It’s a huge ask, but a few stalwarts of the last few years are heading into their final months as KR players, and they’ll want to finish with a bang.
For the club’s youngsters, how good will it be to have a former New Zealand international and a player of Kenny-dowall’s calibre guiding you through the system?
An NRL winner who also has tasted success with his nation. His record speaks for itself, and he will be a great mentor for the academy, especially those outside backs who will be learning from one of the best.
Although it’s sad his time on the field is coming to an end, Peters and CEO Paul Lakin have made an important but easy call to offer Kenny-dowall a new role which will keep him in and around the club.
He won’t be a “captain” in 2024, but he has a great relationship with his teammates which will carry on even in a non-playing capacity.