Victorious Hull KR head coach Willie Peters revealed the vital themes he and his players instilled in the group as the club bounced back to secure a historic treble season.

On Saturday, Rovers made history and dethroned Wigan Warriors with a dominant 24-6 victory in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

Their success marked a historic treble for the Robins, adding to their Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield wins from 2025, becoming only the fifth club side in the Super League era to achieve such a feat following Bradford (2003), St Helens (2006), Leeds Rhinos (2015) and Wigan (2024).

The victory came a year after their Grand Final defeat to Wigan at the same venue, and an emotional Peters said two themes: ‘Good to Great’ and ‘What a great Robin looks like’ got the club there.

“It comes down to what they do at training, what they do every day, how they act,” Peters said in the bowels of Old Trafford.

“Last year we had a theme called ‘Good to Great.’ I asked the players at the back end of the previous year: ‘What’s going to determine great?’ They said winning a trophy, that was the only way that was going to determine whether they went from good to great.

“Then we got beaten in the Grand Final last year against Wigan and I was on holiday in Turkey and thinking to myself: ‘We did some great things this year and we need to acknowledge that.’

“Because I thought they were great throughout the year but everyone said we needed to win to be great, and I understand that.

“We just changed our theme a little bit this year and it was more around every day and how you act every day. Being a great Robin.

“The boys had three pillars to that, to what a great Robin looks like and basically that’s how they act. That’s who they are every single day.

“They’ve done that and when you do that the rewards come. It starts with the performances and the training when they’re away from the organisation. It’s who they are.

“I did say to them at one stage that when we first spoke about it I want this ‘being a great Robin’ theme to hold 15 years down the track, so whoever’s here – players and staff – they know what a great Robin looks like.

“That’s gone a little bit further now because they have a legacy and a lot to learn from.”

Asked to sum up his emotions from a stirring night, Peters shared his absolute faith that his players would get the job done.

“The first word that comes to mind is obviously ‘proud’,” he added.

“These players, the people, the performance, it’s an honour to fight tooth and nail and to win that.

“It started a long time ago for us, it started our first day back at training. We spoke around last year, what happened last year.

“Tonight was on the flip side. These boys were the ones that were fighting. Absolutely amazing.

“I said to the players at half-time, I thought we had a nervous start. And then Mikey Lewis was correcting me and said we were probably excited and I thought that’s a fair word. We were over-excited, we just couldn’t get through our sets. At one point we were at 57 per cent.

“And then we dodged a bullet twice for those two tries. But I thought: ‘This will turn,’ which it did.

“I thought the players were so dominant off the back of that. And the way they defended and worked hard for each other, it just shows there’s a proper bond within this team in terms of helping each other.

“And you don’t win a treble if there’s not a connection that tight.

“We knew that they were going to come. Whether they scored or not, they were going to ask plenty of questions.

“They got that try, but again, it’s how you respond in adversity and through adversity. We always go back to who we are.

“You never forget where you come from. Our people, the people of East Hull, they don’t get it easy. We were never, ever going to get that game easy tonight. We were never going to get that second half easy.”

Minchella: We banished the little voice in our minds – the easy-way-out voice

Hull KR captain Elliot Minchella said post-match:

“It was tough. It was a Grand Final. It pushes your body and your lungs to the limit.

“We speak about, in those moments, you get this little voice in your mind, and it’s the easy-way-out voice, it’s the guy who quits, the guy who takes the easy option, the guy who doesn’t take pressure, do his job.

“In every game, you’ve got to block it out, but in moments like the Grand Final, you’ve got to tell that guy to get on his bike. If you want to win, you’ve got to do that, because the easy option doesn’t get you silverware.

“It was tough to push yourself to the limit, 1-17, everybody giving everything they’ve got, and we got what we deserved.

“I’m very overwhelmed, very emotional, to be honest. Just reflecting on what I’ve been through in my journey, even at the club. It’s my sixth year here now and just seeing the emotions of so many people, I wouldn’t be able to do it justice.

“If I tried to sum that up, just an unbelievable feeling, and so proud to be a part of this unbelievable club.

“A lot of dark times, tough moments, hard work, adversity, but I just persevered. We speak about it at the club, about when you get sent back, it’s what you do next, your response. I think that’s a great lesson in life, really.

“People deal with things, difficulties, but it’s how you respond, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not a perfect person, but I like to think that I’ve persevered and worked hard.

“The boss [Peters] next to me pushed me along. Three years ago now, we had a really deep conversation about a difficult moment for me in my career. I owe him everything to be honest. It wouldn’t have been possible without the guy next to me.”