Betfred Super League 2025: Robins looking for ultimate glory after near-miss in ’24

Hull KR’s rise to prominence under Willie Peters saw them appear in a first Grand Final in 2024, but their 2025 Betfred Super League campaign could finally see them end a 40-year trophy drought if their ascendancy continues.

Rovers were Challenge Cup finalists and Super League semi-finalists in Peters’ first year in charge in ’23, and 12 months later they were denied the ultimate prize when beaten 9-2 at the Old Trafford showpiece by a Bevan French-inspired Wigan Warriors.

Now, with high-profile new signing Jared Waerea-Hargreaves adding further experience and bite to the Robins’ pack, full-back Niall Evalds is looking for KR to make that extra step and claim some elusive silverware.

“The more you experience those big games, those big occasions, it makes you want them more, and as a group we fell short at the final hurdle last year,” Evalds tells Betfred of Rovers’ near-miss in 2024.

“So the talk of pre-season has been bridging that gap and really becoming a top team, and not just now compete for trophies but actually win those trophies. That’s the aim.

“The players we’ve got, with Mikey Lewis and Tyrone May, there’s definitely some great players who can pull things out of the bag but as a team we’ve got to earn the right to be able to play. You’ve got to do all the tough things that fans might not notice in the arm-wrestle of the game to be able to pull those moments out.”

And that’s where the signing of Waerea-Hargreaves could make a key difference in the big moments. The New Zealand international front-rower ended a 15-year association with the Sydney Roosters, with whom he won three NRL Grand Finals, to join the Robins.

Now he’s ready to jump on the Rovers rollercoaster having gained a real enthusiasm for the club after putting pen to paper last summer.

“As soon as I signed I started watching throughout the season, and I got really excited to be honest with you,” the 36-year-old explains to Betfred. “I saw the brand of footy they play, and as it got towards the end of last year I couldn’t wait to get on the plane and get over here and experience it for myself.

“I’ve been playing a certain style for a while now, it doesn’t really vary too often. But I call it staying in your lane and sticking to what you know. I’m really excited to try to be a positive addition to what the club’s been building the last few years and just trying to support these guys and do my role for the team.

“It’s such a long year, and we’re going to be faced with many challenges throughout the year. But I’ve got a fair bit of experience and I feel I can be a big addition for them, and support these guys like Mikey, Elliot Minchella, Dean Hadley, these guys who have been at the club for a while now, support them through the good times but also the challenging ones too.”

Rugby League Odds

Meanwhile Evalds, who has also been a finalist in both the Challenge Cup and Super League with the Salford Red Devils, says the extra 12 months of teamwork between some of the key flair players in what is a thriving club environment ought to put Rovers in a good position to succeed in 2025.

“As a team, and as a spine, we feel like we’re in a better place than we were last year. We’re more connected and we’ve had a year playing together, so we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses a bit more. So we’re very confident,” says the one-cap former England number one.

“Even the young players have got a real work ethic at KR, all the players buy into it from the first name on the teamsheet to the very last in the squad. We all buy into working hard for each other and you don’t have a right to a spot, you have to earn it.”

The Robins are 11/2 with Betfred to go one better than their 2024 Grand Final appearance and lift the Super League trophy at Old Trafford in October, and are 5/1 to finish the regular season at the top of the standings.

Winger Joe Burgess is a 14/1 bet for top try scorer honours, while superstar half-back Lewis is 12/1 to retain his Man of Steel award.

Having gone to a final and a semi-final in their two seasons under coach Peters, Rovers are 7/1 to win a first Betfred Challenge Cup since 1980 at Wembley in June. They face either Keighley Cougars or York Knights on Friday, February 7 in the third round of this year’s competition, seven days before they get their Super League campaign started with a home fixture against Castleford Tigers.

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