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Louise Thomas
Editor
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters is confident star half-back Mikey Lewis will continue to shrug off the superlatives and keep playing a key role in his club’s bid to end their 39-year major trophy drought.
The 23-year-old has been a revelation in Rovers’ continued rise to prominence this season and is expected to once again prove the pivotal factor in their Betfred Super League play-off semi-final against Warrington at Craven Park on Friday.
Lewis’ form – which included a Man of the Match-winning performance on his England debut against Tonga last year – has not gone unnoticed and he is a firm favourite to be on the three-strong shortlist for the 2024 Man of Steel when it is announced on Wednesday.
And with Rovers now just 80 minutes away from booking their place in their first Grand Final, Peters has no fear over the home-grown player’s ability to hold his nerve against Sam Burgess’ men, who go into the game on a high after Saturday’s dramatic golden-point win over St Helens.
“It’s what makes the best players the best players – how they cope with the pressure, with the individual awards and with people telling them how good they are,” said Peters.
“If you listen to people outside and don’t do your work, that’s where people can get ahead of themselves, and I haven’t seen anything from Mikey that suggests that.
“I just see a player who loves to prepare to play a game on Friday night, who is passionate about his club and his team-mates, and if he shows that on Friday then that’s all he can do.”
Lewis has not been the only stand-out in what has arguably been Rovers’ best campaign since they won the old First Division title in 1985, with captain Elliot Minchella – who is suspended on Friday – also making the end-of-season Dream Team, and others like Peta Hiku, Sauaso Sue and Jai Whitbread unlucky to miss out.
And while team spirit continues to be key to Rovers’ revival, Peters – who reached the 2000 Grand Final in his sole season as a player with Wigan – knows the burden of expectation will continue to drift towards the big names as the season nears its conclusion.
Peters’ belief is borne out by the first two play-off matches which saw a match-winning performance from Leigh hooker Edwin Ipape at Salford before George Williams stole the show for Wire against Saints, culminating in him holding his nerve to nail the decisive drop-goal.
“For most of the season, if you’re switched on as a pack you can usually dominate that middle third of the field and in normal, week to week games that will get you across the line,” added Peters.
“But there’s no doubt that in the big games, it’s your spine players, your key players, who step up, as we’ve seen with George and Ipape. So we’re certainly looking at Mikey and Tyrone (May) and Niall (Evalds) and guys like that to step up. It’s going to be the key players in the spine who will determine the game.”
Lewis is not the only one fielding plaudits. Peters has been named on a four-strong shortlist for the 2024 Betfred Super League Coach of the Year award, along with Wigan’s Matt Peet, Salford’s Paul Rowley and Mike Eccles of London Broncos.
