Ranking the 7 best players in Hull KR 12-8 St Helens with FIVE Robins including one standout

Hull KR moved to within one victory of a first League Leader’s Shield in Super League history after edging an attritional and absorbing clash with play-off rivals St Helens.

The Robins ground out a magnificent victory to move to the brink of genuine history in a game when the two best defences in the competition served up an absolute thriller.

Here are our standouts from the game and the seven best players on the night – with FIVE Robins..

7. Jai Whitbread (Hull KR)

Superb in the middle of the park.

6. Elliot Minchella (Hull KR)

A proper captain’s knock from Rovers’ skipper who looked to back to his best in the middle.

5. Matty Lees (St Helens)

With Morgan Knowles going off early on the Saints needed a leader in the middle of the park. Lees will have to take that role on full-time next season when Knowles is in the NRL but this was an encouraging sign to show he can step up and that man in 2026.

4. Dean Hadley (Hull KR)

Put him wherever, and he will do a job. In the absence of Rovers’ two starting front-rowers, Hadley was absolutely brilliant in the middle of the park and he led from the front.

3. Daryl Clark (St Helens)

He was a colossus in the middle but was ultimately failed by the creative players around him. Non-stop effort and endeavour and plenty of good work around the ruck, but it just wasn’t enough on the night.

2. Mikey Lewis (Hull KR)

Not at his effervescent, free-flowing best to the naked eye but goodness, did he have a massive say in what happened here on Friday evening.

His 40-20 was undoubtedly the game-breaking moment as it led directly to Joe Burgess’ crucial try but Lewis was in the thick of the action all evening, creating half-chances and managing to draw penalties at precisely the right moments.

One man, for us, surpassed him though..

1. Jez Litten (Hull KR)

The absolute standout on the night without question. For an hour he was absolutely everywhere and led everything Rovers did both with the ball and without it. He has emerged into one heck of a leader for Peters’ side.

At some stage, surely it becomes an inevitability that he is in contention for an England call-up this autumn? As the weeks pass, it’s hard to imagine an England squad without him.