Willie Peters breaks silence on Perth links with intriguing admission

Hull KR coach Willie Peters has admitted he would be open to looking at an opportunity to coach in the NRL if one arose, after speculation linking him with the Perth Bears job.

The Bears are on the hunt for a coach to lead them from the start of the 2027, with a plethora of names already linked. They include existing Super League coaches in Brad Arthur and Sam Burgess: both of whom have hinted they would be open to speaking the club.

Earlier this week, Peters’ name was floated as a possible option with NRL journalist David Riccio saying: “There’s a smokey and I think it’s Willie Peters. He has the stocks and the goods to be an NRL coach.”

Peters was asked about that speculation in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. He admitted his main focus was on Hull KR and nothing else as it stands.

But he did admit that he does have aspirations to coach in the NRL.

He said: “It’s out of my control. I’ve always said at some stage, if an opportunity comes up, then I’d like to coach in the NRL.

“But my focus is on what I’m doing now, and making sure we’re getting ready for the Challenge Cup final in three weeks time but more importantly, a game on Saturday. That’s the most important thing to me.”

Peters then continued: “I’m under contract, that’s right.

“Like I say, at some stage, if an opportunity comes up, I’d certainly look at it. It’s something that I’d love to do, and people internally know that. But my focus is on what I’m doing now.

“We’ve got an opportunity to win something. That’s what we want to do. We want to win something, and nothing has changed in that way, that’s for sure.”