Willie Peters: I've got all the belief in the world in these players

Willie Peters was a proud head coach on Saturday as his side banked the treble in style.

The Robins became the fifth team in history to lift the Super League trophy in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final, and that was all down to a trademark ‘Hull KR performance.’

Peters’ side always led at Old Trafford, eventually winning with a 24-6 score-line against the former champions Wigan Warriors.

The Robins led 10-2 at half-time but had to quickly combat any sort of Warriors comeback early in the second half, before going on to score two more tries which would secure them a famous win.

“It’s unbelievable,” Peters said in his post-match press conference.

“I am proud of these players and the performance to fight tooth and nail to win that. This started on the first day of training after losing the final last year. We knew we had to be better and we did that, we battled to the end, and it was amazing.

“I thought we had a nervous start. But I thought the players turned it around and became dominant.

“The way they worked hard for each other – it just shows there’s a proper brotherhood in this team and they would do anything for each other.

“We knew we were going to be under adversity, and we knew that Wigan were going to come at us and ask plenty of questions, which they did.

“But it’s how you respond, and we always go back to who we are and never forget where we come from and how hard the people of East Hull work.

“We were never going to get that game easy. But I was really comfortable with how we defended and once we scored our third try, I was confident we could get the win.

“But I do want to pay full credit to Wigan as they have been a champion team for a very long time. The way they congratulated us says a lot about them."

The Robins have been building up towards silverware since pre-season, after falling short in 2024’s Grand Final to the same opponents.

And this year, they have walked away with all three trophies, with Peters putting it down to the belief, hard-work and togetherness of his playing group:

“I said to the players before the game that there are only four teams who have ever won the treble, and nobody has won the treble twice [in the Super League era].

“That shows how hard it is to win a treble, so we had the opportunity to go out on Saturday and do something that we may not ever do again.

“No other team may do it again, so we wanted to go after this opportunity.

“I’ve got all the belief in the world in these players. We have a captain that leads from the front, we've got a great leadership group, and we brought two guys in this year that that we knew that would help us achieve that too.”

Peters paid tribute to retiring stars Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Michael McIlorum, whose experienced heads have been integral to the club’s success in 2025.

“We just needed a little bit more belief in those bigger games and that's what Micky and Jared brought to the team.

“And I think we can do it again. Are we going out to win all three next year? Of course we are. Every year, you play to win, and you want to win all three, but the learnings we’ve got from having people like that around the place and from our season, is priceless.

“They’re winners and they’ve gone out winners and that’s what they deserve. They had help from their teammates, who are now winners too.

“Jez Litten has also been our best player in our side this year and hopefully he gets to start as England hooker because he deserves it.

When asked what’s next for this heroic Hull KR side, Peters said:

“These guys are thirsty. I ask so much of them. Come next year, I'll be asking the same question, but I ask so much of the players, the staff and I want to acknowledge the staff that I have – so loyal and hard-working.

“They need to break for all their hard work, and when you achieve all these things, you need to take some time off and take a break."

Commenting on star man Mikey Lewis, who was the winner of the second Rob Burrow Award, the Hull KR head coach said:

“He had a big moment. It doesn’t get bigger than the Grand Final, and he owned that first half. He was a difference and he stood up.

“For Mikey to win that award - it's such a huge, huge honour. Rob Burrow is an absolute champion of our game, and nobody was braver than Rob.

“There will be no prouder person than Mikey tonight for receiving that award.

“Your forwards often win you games, but it’s also your spine that produce the key moments in big games, and Mikey was huge in that.”

Watch the 2025 Betfred Super League Grand Final highlights here!