Hull KR: Willie Peters to be head coach from next season
- Published
Willie Peters (centre) played for Wigan Warriors when they lost the 2000 Super League Grand Final to St Helens
Super League side Hull KR have appointed Willie Peters as their new head coach from the 2023 season.
Peters will replace Tony Smith, who is leaving at the end of this campaign.
The Australian, 43, is currently assistant of NRL side Newcastle Knights, but he has signed a three-year deal at Craven Park taking him up to the end of the 2025 season.
Hull KR are currently sixth in Super League but lost to Huddersfield Giants in Saturday's Challenge Cup semi-final.
A former half-back, Peters played in the competition for Gateshead Thunder, Wigan Warriors and Widnes Vikings.
Forced to retire at 25 due to injury, he headed into coaching and he has spent the last six years working as an assistant head coach in the NRL at Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs and since 2020 at the Knights, working alongside leading coaches such as Anthony Seibold, Wayne Bennett and Adam O'Brien.
Under Smith, Hull KR finished 11th in both 2019 and 2020, but they ended last year in sixth and went on to reach the play-off semi-finals, and the 55-year-old will fulfil his duties for the rest of this season.
"I'll do it my way"
However, Peters cannot wait to take a big Super League job.
"When the opportunity came up, it just felt right," he told the Hull KR "I've got so many good memories of when I played in Super League, I'm just grateful for the opportunity and I can't wait to come back over there.
"I'm joining a team that's well established and definitely on the rise. I've worked with a number of quality coaches and taken a lot away from what their strengths are. But of course, I'm going to do it my way."
The club's chief executive, Paul Lakin, is certain that Peters can build on the foundations laid by Smith, as well as bring the know-how gained from working in Australia's premier competition.
"Willie knows Super League well, he's a fan of the competition, and he has six years NRL assistant coaching experience across three clubs with high-quality cultures, who have consistently reached the play-offs," said Lakin.
"He initially worked as a development coach and is clearly passionate about promoting youth at every opportunity, again a key discipline that we believe in as a club."