Hull KR duo set for exits as coach confirms decision on off-contract star
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters
Hull KR half-backs Danny Richardson and Rowan Milnes both appear set to depart come the end of the season, with head coach Willie Peters having confirmed the impending exit of the latter.
Milnes – who spent four seasons with the Robins between 2020 and 2023 – only returned to the club on August 6, initially joining on a two-week loan deal from Castleford Tigers.
Last week, KR then announced the playmaker’s permanent return on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and immediately loaned him out to fellow Super League outfit Salford Red Devils on a one-week basis.
The Robins were able to bring Milnes in initially having sent fellow half-back Richardson out on loan to Championship table-toppers York until the end of the season.
Having joined KR on a two-year deal ahead of 2025, Richardson will still have 12 months left on his contract come the end of this year.
But now, it appears he too will follow Milnes back out of the exit door permanently.
Hull KR duo set for exits as coach confirms decision on off-contract star
Bradford-born Milnes is yet to make his second debut for Peters’ side, but featured 49 times across all competitions during his first stint at Craven Park.
Having been cut out of the picture at Cas, his run out for financially-stricken Salford in their defeat at Leigh Leopards last Friday night having provided his first senior appearance in almost two months.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon ahead of KR’s clash with St Helens this weekend, head coach Peters confirmed: “Rowan wants to get a contract for next year and it’s important he does.
“Rowan knows that we can’t have him on board next year, he’s aware of that, so he’s pretty much playing for a contract (elsewhere).
“It’s important that he goes out and plays and that he’s playing in Super League. Rowan is a Super League player, I believe, and he’ll add to any squad that needs a half.
“I think he’ll be able to do that and be a bit of a leader in that inexperienced Salford team. They’re not sure what they’re going to have each week, but Rowan can get some consistency around playing.
“We can still bring him back (from the loan) and he still trains with us, so it’s more around just getting him game time, which is what he wants.
“Most people in the game know what Rowan’s capable of, and it’s still in him to get a team around the park.”
‘We’ll get something out around Richo over the next couple of weeks’
Richardson’s departure, providing it goes ahead, will come as more of a surprise. Having enjoyed a loan stint with KR last term, he signed on the dotted line for two years ahead of this season.
Four appearances for the Robins have followed, and in the last of those at Leigh on July 12, he suffered an ankle injury which is likely to have ended his season.
Despite that, he linked up with York to allow Milnes to return to Craven Park, but there may be more than meets the eye with that as the Knights are believed to be eyeing up a permanent deal for the half-back.
With York targeting promotion to Super League, Peters admitted: “I’m sure there’s a lot of players that it (the expansion) is going to open up a lot of opportunity for.
“There are players that aren’t playing now in squads that will go to whoever comes up and kickstart their careers again.
“You can only pick 17 players each week.
“We’ve got players in our squad that aren’t getting consistent game time, but I’m sure would add to any other team if they were needed.
“We’ll speak about Richo (when we can).
“At this stage, he’s going to be with York for the rest of the year, but we’ll get something out around Richo over the next couple of weeks, (on) whether he’s going to be with us or not.”
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