No need to panic, KR are showing they can mix it with the big boys
IT’S JUST A SHAME THEY COULDN’T HANG ON TO WIN
THERE was a sombre mood at Craven Park after Hull KR’S 26-22 Golden Point defeat to Wigan Warriors in bizarre circumstances. The contest had drones, major injuries, post-hitting and a war of attrition all rolled into one fixture.
It was a game that will live in the memory of everyone involved with both clubs for some time.
Here are the three main talking points to come out of Rovers’ gutwrenching defeat on Thursday.
Context
For the second time in 2023, Hull KR conceded a try in the final second of a match to be beaten.
Obviously, Thursday went to Golden Point, but the result is the same as the Leigh one in March.
It isn’t a time to start panicking and digging the players out, far from it, but Rovers would be joint top if they’d won those games.
Instead, they could be six points adrift of Warrington by the end of the weekend. Fine margins.
In reality, there is no reason for disappointment.
Rovers finished eighth last year and are now mixing it up with the big boys. That shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
Nevertheless, you do wonder and hope that come the end of the season, those results aren’t costly, regardless of what the context is at the end of the campaign.
On three separate occasions now, the Robins have been agonisingly close to beating the top two sides.
Plus, they have already scalped St Helens and Wigan, and the two Warrington games easily could have gone the other way. It proves that Rovers are going toe-to-toe with the best teams.
If Mikey Lewis had slotted over that field goal, we’d be saying how brilliant Rovers are and how they showed character to come back and do the double over Wigan.
Still, rugby is a cruel game, and people will only remember Liam Farrell’s try.
The manner of defeat will hurt, especially after taking the lead in the dying embers, only to concede with the final attack of the game.
If Rovers do have title ambitions, those narrow defeats will have to become narrow wins, it’s as simple as that.
You have to hope that experiencing these types of contests will battle-harden them for when it really matters, in finals.
Yes, it hurts, but bottling it up won’t do any good. The players were out on their feet, and both sides deserve plenty of praise for a brilliant spectacle. That’s the price you can pay when trying to topple Super League’s big boys.
The positive is they are in every contest they play. There haven’t been any hammerings, and at the moment, you can’t see any coming.
This team grafts for each other and will mourn that defeat together.
Experiencing these matches midway through a campaign can help in the long run. That’s the message here.
They made mistakes, they blew chances and didn’t help themselves defensively. But, they ran a top, top side close again, and if those small margins had gone their way, Rovers would be two points clear of Wigan.
Right edge
Let’s bring up the elephant in the room. Some of Rovers’ edge play was so uncharacteristic. Granted, Bevan French and Liam Marshall can tear any team apart when they are on form, but the hosts made it easy at times. There were several tries that KR’S edge defenders contributed to by simply misreading the play.
Corey Hall and Tom Opacic were at fault the most, and that isn’t saying they are the sole reason Rovers lost. It’s a team effort, but Wigan ran riot down KR’S righthand side. In spells, they slid well and managed to contain the Warriors’ shift plays, but more times than not misread French’s next move and found themselves on the back burner.
The left-hand side also got fooled numerous times, but Peters highlighted the right in his postmatch presser. Sometimes changes don’t work. That was the case on Thursday. Corey Hall looked much more comfortable in the centres.
Peters’ gamble didn’t pay off, but you get that as a coach.
However, it now poses the question about the remainder of 2023 and whether or not SKD stays on the wing with the two Halls on the left. Corey and Opacic have been great this year, and they will be disappointed with some of their decisions.
Ethan Ryan
It’s worth sparing a thought for Ethan Ryan, who could have potentially played his last game for Hull KR as tests have shown he has a broken jaw.
He doesn’t deserve that ending if so. Ryan has filled in for Lachlan Coote at fullback, and on Thursday, he was steady under the high ball and stayed calm and composed in extreme circumstances.
It’s such a shame that just as he was coming back into his own, a cruel setback happens.
He left the field in a neck brace, and Peters confirmed after the contest he wasn’t in a good way.
Coote’s return is vital now, but Ryan has shown to Salford Red Devils fans they have a player who always gives 100 per cent, can play in multiple positions and has plenty of flair about him.
Let’s hope we see him again in 2023, but if not, he has been dealt a cruel card from the rugby league gods regarding his Craven Park swansong.