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In-demand Aussie coach eyes Super League history
Ian Chadband, AAP • October 10th, 2025 8:08 am
Willie Peters, a fine NRL player, is now wanted as an NRL coach after his great record in England | Photo: Robb Cox/AAP
Willie Peters is the man of the moment in British rugby league, with the soaring Australian coach set to be even more on the radar of NRL clubs as he seeks to make Super League history in the grand final with Hull KR.
And the 46-year-old Peters is counting on Rovers' star Englishman Mikey Lewis to come up trumps in Reece Walsh-like fashion at Old Trafford on Saturday to inspire them to a grand-final triumph against champs Wigan.
It's been another big week for Peters, the former South Sydney and St George Illawarra halfback who's transformed the fortunes of the famous Yorkshire side, leading them to back-to-back grand finals as well as League Leaders' Shield and Challenge Cup triumphs this season.
On Monday, Peters was announced as Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters' assistant for the Ashes internationals later this month while on Tuesday, he was named Super League's coach of the year.
Now, having said one day he'd like to coach in the NRL after being assistant previously at Manly, South Sydney and Newcastle, his only concern for the moment is the chance to dethrone world club champs Wigan.
He'd be the first Australian in 19 years, since Daniel Anderson at St Helens in 2005 -- and only the fifth coach ever -- to achieve the domestic treble in the same season.
Key for Peters could be Lewis, the Super League's outstanding English star over the past two years and, ironically, the bloke he'll have to stop in the Ashes.
Hull KR hope their key grand-final star can emulate Reece Walsh's NRL showpiece dominance | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Before then, though, Peters, who was thrilled at seeing the brilliance of Ashes-bound Walsh for Brisbane in their NRL grand final last weekend, hopes 24-year-old Lewis could offer up the same sort of dominant display on Saturday.
"That's going to be up to Mikey," Peters told Sky Sports. "You look at what Reece Walsh did last weekend. At some stage, he would have said in his mind he wants to go out and own this Grand Final. It doesn't just happen.
"I'm pretty confident Reece Walsh would have mentally gone, 'I'm going to be a beast. I'm going to own this grand final', and that's where Mikey needs to be. He needs to mentally tap into that."
Peters doesn't think they're similar players, but he reckons they've both been resilient, strong characters in the face of much criticism.
"I don't know Reece but I'll get to know him. I heard him say no-one can ever take away that grand final from him, regardless.
"Mikey's won a Challenge Cup, and obviously now he's wanting to win a Super League title too. If he achieves that, no-one can ever take that away from him too."
Peters has other former NRL weapons like Tyrone May, the Penrith Panthers grand final winner in 2021.
"We know Mikey's one of our X-factors as is someone like Tyrone May, whose game's been building and probably doesn't get credit. He adds a lot to our attack."
Wigan's Bevan French (R) is one of the great Aussie threats in the Super League grand final | Photo: AP
But Rovers must overcome Wigan's own quartet of key Aussies -- Bevan French, whose brilliance sank Peters' side in last year's final, Jai Field, Kaide Ellis and Adam Keighran.
As for Peters, the whole Hull KR club are desperate he doesn't move on over the next few years after extending his contract at the Robins.
Hull KR CEO Paul Lakin shrugged: "Willie's contracted to 2028. Genuinely, we haven't had a conversation to suggest otherwise. I believe he's really happy and his family are really happy. So we'll take it as it comes."
