Willie Peters has admitted that certain members of his Hull KR squad are yet to hit the standards expected during their famously tough pre-season preparations.
Since his arrival at the club, Peters has overseen an increase in intensity during the weeks and months leading into the season, which many have credited as a key component in their success in recent years.
Many players have publicly stated how a Hull KR pre-season has been a level above anything they have experienced elsewhere and following his most recent comments, it would appear that some haven’t reached the level Peters is looking for as the turn of the year arrives.
Peters did not go as far as to name the players in question but speaking to Hull Live, he said: “When I came to the club, one of the first things I said to the players was they won’t be handed the jersey; they had to earn it.
“The only way you do that is by building a competitive squad. There’s only a few guys, I don’t want them to be in the position they’re in but they’re not showing Hull KR qualities. The ones that aren’t are clear to see.
“We want a squad with headaches and the good thing is that if we picked a team today it would be really difficult with some differing opinions. I usually get final say but if it’s a majority, I can’t think of too many times I’ve gone against it.”
An early indicator of who has played their way into early contention, as well as those with work to do, will be when the team sheet is revealed for the Amsterdam Challenge clash with York Knights. Peters is set to pick his preferred matchday 17 in the Challenge Cup two weeks later, but the game overseas will feature those further down the pecking order.
“We’ll have two teams and the one that plays in Amsterdam will be players 18 onwards. The two games, the other being the Challenge Cup, will determine who plays round one and the Challenge Cup team will be picked based on training.
“Some players will miss out, we have a really competitive squad, but the pre-season determines the early rounds. But as we saw last season, the team can look very different from the start of the season to the end.”
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