A virtual ever-present at press conferences during his time with Hull KR, Tony Smith was conspicuous by his absence when Wednesday's Zoom call went live.
Sat in his place was Stanley Gene for the first time since rejoining the club two years ago.
It is not unprecedented for the Rovers head coach to miss a press conference but such instances have been few and far between in his three years in charge. Danny McGuire stood in twice last year and David Hodgson faced the press when Smith was forced to self-isolate towards the end of 2020.
