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Aussie Super League coach rejects NRL club approach
Mark Staniforth, AAP • September 5th, 2025 10:47 am
Willie Peters, here in his NRL playing days, has spurned a chance to return as a coach | Photo: Robb Cox/AAP
Willie Peters has revealed he turned down an approach to coach Newcastle Knights so that he could focus on Hull KR's bid to land an historic treble triumph in England.
The Australian coach will lead his side into Sunday's (Monday NZ Time) Super League derby with Hull FC knowing that a win could be enough to seal the coveted League Leaders' Shield, depending on Wigan's result at St Helens on Friday night.
Peters - who has already lifted Rovers to Challenge Cup glory this term and hopes to steer them to the Super League title - said he had rejected a chance to interview with the Knights, whose current coach Adam O'Brien will leave at the end of the season.
"I don't want any distractions at the back end of the year with Hull KR and what we're doing and where we're going," Peters said.
"It's my sole focus to prepare these players and work with the staff to make sure we give this back end of the year what it deserves.
"That's putting everything into it. I'm not going to tell the players that we need to be committed for the next six weeks if I'm interviewing for jobs in the NRL and then come back and tell them that I'm back in.
"My focus is to prepare these players to hopefully put ourselves in a position to go and get the treble. That would be an unbelievable achievement for this club."
Rovers will wrap up first place with two games to spare if Wigan lose at Saints on Friday night (Saturday NZ Time), then the hosts see off their city rivals, who need a win to keep their top-six hopes realistically intact.
