17 February 2023 , 19:55
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Hull KR boss Willie Peters is ready to “annoy” Kris Radlinski again - more than 20 years after doing so as the Wigan legend’s next door neighbour.
Australian Peters takes charge of the Robins for the first time on Saturday as they begin their Betfred Super League campaign against Warriors. It’s a perfect opener for his first-ever game as a head coach given he had the time of his life with the Cherry and Whites in 2000. Peters, 46, played in a great side alongside current Wigan CEO Radlinski, Andy Farrell, Jason Robinson and Steve Renouf.
After joining from Gateshead Thunder, he scored 15 tries in 29 games to help Wigan finish top and reach the Grand Final before heading home to St George Illawarra. Peters recalled: "I loved it; that year was one of the best years of my life. I played with Rads but lived right next door to him, too!
“There were loads of us all together: Rads, me, Andy Farrell, Gary Connolly and Tony Mestrov. It was awesome. It was an old barn converted so all the houses were connected. I was only a kid - 21 - but living with those guys in that area was great. I was knocking on Rads’ door every day, picking his brains and annoying him. There was Faz and then Gary Connolly took me under his wing as well. He helped in a different way! I had a ball."
Peters, who returned to the UK with Widnes in 2004 before retiring, vowed he would come back here to coach one day. He’s done that now after succeeding the sacked Tony Smith at Craven Park. The ex-South Sydney and Manly assistant has brought NRL trio Tom Opacic, Rhys Kennedy and Sauaso Sue with him to bolster KR. After missing out on the play-offs last term, Peters is tasked with getting the East Yorkshire club back in the mix.
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And there’s no better start than against the Challenge Cup holders in the televised Channel 4 showdown. He said: “It’s bizarre how it works, getting Wigan in round one. They’re one of the benchmarks of the competition again and rightly so. To have them at home is special. I want to have that first game here in front of the Rovers fans and we’ve got that. But it doesn’t matter who we play really. It’s going to be a huge crowd and it’ll be an awesome day.”
Appointed in May but only taking up the reins in November, Peters has been contemplating this moment for what must feel like forever. He admitted: “I’ve had plenty of time to plan and prepare and that’s helped. But now I’m at the stage where I want to play. I’m confident in what we can do.”