Hull KR coach weighs in on Mikey Lewis’ NRL ambitions as honest admission made

Hull KR boss Willie Peters insists Mikey Lewis’ ambitions of earning a move to the NRL haven’t come as a surprise to him, but says there is more to come from the Robins’ star man before he thinks about heading Down Under.

Reports earlier this month from outlets in Australia suggested that several NRL clubs had their eye on Super League’s reigning Man of Steel.

Lewis himself then revealed his ambitions of playing on the other side of the world last week when appearing on Sky Sports’ ‘The Bench’ podcast, saying he would never pull on the shirt of any other Super League club.

And though the playmaker is contracted at Craven Park until the end of 2028 having come through KR‘s youth system, that admission of wanting to play in the NRL has certainly set tongues wagging.

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‘If it’s something Mikey wants to look at down the track, then that’s up to him, his management and the club’

Beaten in last year’s Grand Final, the Robins sit top of the Super League table after eight games this term having lost just one of those.

They head to Headingley to take on Leeds Rhinos on Friday night, and speaking in Tuesday afternoon’s pre-match press conference ahead of that game, KR head coach Peters addressed Lewis’ NRL hopes.

The Australian detailed: “When I first came over, (I was) getting to know individuals, finding out where they’ve come from and what they want to achieve in the game and where they want to go.

“Mikey said to me that he wants to go to the NRL. My job, and our job as staff, is to develop him and grow him and help him achieve those dreams.

“Do we want Mikey to leave? Absolutely not.

“But if it’s something Mikey wants to look at down the track, then that’s up to him, his management and the club.

“I’m very close with Mikey, I know exactly where he’s at with it all. He’s very upfront with it, we have good conversations in and around it.

“We’ll look at it if and when the time comes. I certainly want to develop Mikey to be the best player he can.”

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‘For me, he’s certainly growing his game, but there’s certainly more in Mikey’

Lewis, who will turn 24 in June and has recently welcomed his first child, made his senior debut for KR back in August 2019 against Wigan Warriors.

He’s now played a total of 109 games in their colours, as well as 13 between Newcastle Thunder and York on dual-registration/loan.

And on the international front, having represented England Knights once back in 2022, he now has five caps at full international level having made his bow for Shaun Wane’s side against Tonga in October 2023.

Peters though believes the half-back still has work to do before he gets to an NRL standard. When asked the question about potential improvements, the KR boss said: “It’ll be consistency.

“Everyone is watching every move, being in a key position like that. You need to be consistent and come up with those clutch moments and big plays.

“I’m not saying he needs to do that every week over there, but what he does need to do is be consistent, if he did get the opportunity to go over there.

“For me, he’s certainly growing his game, but there’s certainly more in Mikey. His temperament, in and around that, he’s working on all the time. He’s growing a lot off the field.

“I think it’s working on (his game) defensively, and making sure that he’s consistent where his best and worst aren’t too far away.

“Our game is certainly getting close to the NRL in a competition point of view. Anyone can beat anyone on their day now, and that’s what the NRL is about. Every game over there is a difficult game.”

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