Willie Peters 'will miss' Hull derby after signing off with ninth straight win
Willie Peters admitted he will miss the “special occasion” of the Hull derby as he masterminded Hull KR’s ninth successive victory over Hull FC on Thursday evening.
The loss of star Mikey Lewis to a four-match ban looked to have affected Rovers’ rhythm as the home side raced into a 12-0 lead after just eight minutes at the MKM Stadium.
However, the Black and Whites failed to build on their promising start as the defending champions worked their way back into the contest to level at the break before looking like last season’s treble-winning side during the second period in a 34-20 triumph.
They boosted their play-off hopes by climbing to fifth in the Super League table and Peters, who will leave Sewell Craven Park at the end of the season, opened up on what he will miss as he signed off his final derby clash with another victory.
“Whenever you play against FC, we do it for many, many people and the community is number one, but as well as (owner) Neil Hudgell,” he said.
“For me to see him with a smile on his face after every derby win is something I get a lot of self-satisfaction out of and so do the players.
“To be part of these has been really, really special, something I’m going to miss.
“I’ve absolutely loved every single derby except for one that was a probably a day to forget.
“It’s just both fans, it’s this healthy rivalry and I think the crowds were great today. It’s just a special occasion.
“I’ll miss them, that’s for sure, but I’ll be watching fondly from home.”
On the performance, the Australian head coach added: “That first 10 minutes, it was a nervous start being 12-0 down. That could have been ugly.
“People have been questioning a few things about us, the best way is obviously winning football games. The noise was a bit louder this week, people telling you.
“I think it’s important to know sometimes when people question connection and how tough you are as a team. The only way to do that is by performing well and being 12-0 down, it required a connected team tonight.
“I thought it was the perfect fixture to show the fight, show we’ve still got that fight. We scored enough points. We need to be consistent.”
Interim head coach Andy Last rued Hull’s inability to build on their early start as they fell to their fifth straight league defeat.
“I’m really disappointed, it would have been great to get two points,” he said.
“The start couldn’t have gone any better. We just weren’t able to get any ascendancy in the ruck from a defensive point of view.
“Then second half, Rovers just did what they do, which is suffocate your field position and dominate.”
On Peters’ final derby match as Rovers boss, Last added: “I’ll be glad to see the back of Willie Peters with regards to the derby!”