On the 29th October 2020, Hull KR's season ended with an uninspiring, lacklustre derby defeat in St Helens losing 16-31 to the black and whites who out enthused the robins which summed up the reds campaign with the East Hull outfit sitting bottom of the Super League, only avoiding relegation due to the covid-19 pandemic and the withdrawal of Toronto Wolfpack, who'd of thought 336 days later myself and around another 100 Rovers fans would be lucky enough to see Hull KR 80 minutes away from Old Trafford and take on Catalan Dragons in Perpignan which saw the Robins reach their first Super League semi final coming up short in the south of France losing 28-10 in a hostile partizan crowd.
Taking it back to 2020, the off season leading into the 2021 season saw the usual revolving door take place at Craven Park which saw Mitch Garbutt, Ryan Brierley, Matty Gee, Nathaniel Peteru, Daniel Murray, Will Oakes, Elliot Wallis, Harvey Livett, Robbie Mulhern and Weller Hauraki end their time with the Reds as Tony Smith, Danny Mcguire and new CEO Paul Lakin go for quality over quantity with the Robins bringing in 6 new faces with Albert Vete, Korbin Sims, Brad Takairangi and Ryan Hall all joining from the NRL and youngsters Luis Johnson and Muizz Mustapha joining from Super League, Mustapha joining on a one-year-loan deal from Leeds Rhinos.
February - With the pandemic still in its peak, Rovers' 2021 squad returned for pre-season in dribs and drabs, but the delayed start to the Super League season still gave Tony Smith plenty of time to assemble his squad and prepare for a campaign which would see the first 5 rounds still played behind closed doors without spectators and on the 11th February we found out Rovers would open their campaign in Leeds facing the Catalan Dragons, a team the reds would meet four times in 2021. Castleford Tigers Adam Milner celebrated his testimonial in 2021 which saw the announcement that Rovers would face the Tigers in their only pre-season match and saw the full 2021 fixtures announced including the news Magic Weekend would be back in Newcastle which placed Rovers against newly promoted Leigh Centurions ending the weekend with the final game on the Sunday. February also saw another departure from Craven Park as Nick Rawsthorne left the Robins to take up a deal with Halifax Panthers after only making 6 2020 appearances since his arrival.
March - After a long 5 months in isolation without Rugby League, March saw the return of the "greatest game". Shaun Kenny-Dowall was named captain for Tony Smiths men with Elliot Minchella taking the rains as vice-captain, a controversial move at the time with some fans questioning the call made by the boss. Off the field, Paul Lakin and the club announced the exciting new project "Craven Streat" with the vision to transform the matchday experience for the fans once the red army returned to the ground. Rovers finally returned to action against Castleford Tigers on the OURLEAGUE app which saw TS name Jordan Abdull and new signing Brad Takairangi in the half's which saw the Robins play at home for the first time in almost a year. Hull KR had five new boys in their line-up as they suffered a 30-20 defeat to Castleford Tigers in the pre-season friendly. The Rugby League family sat and watched our hero Mose Masoe on the box as Sky Sports showed Mose and partner Carissa share the truth about their lives since that infamous day in Wakefield as the big man continued to inspire us all. Gameday one was upon the Robins as the boys headed down the M62 to face the Dragons with big news coming out of the squad announcement which saw Brad Takairangi missing out, a bloke who wouldn't make his Robins debut until round 4. A Heart-breaking golden point drop goal from NSW legend James Maloney saw the Reds lose our 29-28 after fighting back from 28-4 at one point to see the game snatched away in extra time, the highlight of the game saw new boy Ryan Hall rekindle his try scoring ability with a hat-trick on debut. The Challenge Cup draw saw Rovers picked to play at home against Castleford Tigers at Craven Park, again without the red army in attendance.
April - Round 2 saw the "home" game against the reining champions St Helens in their own backyard..... yes you read that correct! Rovers left the Totally Wicked Stadium battered and bruised with the disappointing news forward Elliot Minchella would miss the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Things went from bad to worse as Rovers suffered a number of injuries in their 25-0 thrashing with Korbin Sims and Matty Storton who were both forced off during the game because of head injuries. Away from league action, the Challenge Cup rolled into town with KR and Castleford playing in a repeat of the 1986 final which ironically ended up with the same result, a one-point winning margin for the West Yorkshire outfit. A horrendous and disappointing final 10 minutes saw Rovers cough up a 32-18 lead conceding a Harlem Globetrotters style try from the Tigers on the hooter which saw Gareth O'Brian slot a drop goal over to knock the reds out of the cup, not for the first time. April also saw the return of short term loan deals in Rugby League which gave forgotten man Joe Keyes a fortnight at the York City Knights to get some well needed game time. The Sky Sports cameras visited East Hull for the first time in 2021 with a night of records, diving, controversial tries and a vital first win for the reds taking place as Rovers edged out Huddersfield 25-24 thanks to a late Jordan Abdull drop goal and a Matt Parcell masterclass around the ruck which set Rovers on their way in 2021. Ben Crooks earned his name in the Guinness world book of records with the faster ever Super League try as the winger crossed over after just 7 seconds, a try missed by plenty who would have been settling on their sofa's!. Off the pitch Youngster Anesu Mudoti joined league one outfit Doncaster on a season long loan as the young prop struggled to break through into the first team setup and electric hooker Jez Litten penned a four-year contract extension keeping him in East Hull until at least the end of 2025, a fantastic piece of business for the Robins. Another home game against another West Yorkshire team saw Leeds Rhinos head over to East Hull which saw Rovers record back to back wins in Super League with a comprehensive 24-6 victory with Mr Consistent Kane Linnett bagging a brace and former Rhinos Ryan Hall and Matt Parcell crossing the whitewash against their former club, Halls 200th Super League try. George Lawler's fantastic start to the season saw the prop forward included in Paul Andersons England Knights squad and we ended the month in a sombre mood as the one year anniversary passed since the loss of Jordan Cox as we raised a glass for our Robin.
May - The beginning of May started with a trip to Lancashire as Greg Inglis made his much anticipated debut for Warrington as the Reds went into the sheds leading 12-18 at the break with SKD, Hall and Abdull leading the way for the Robins, but as seen before Hull KR can be a team of two half's which ended in a 50-26 after conceding 5 tries in the final quarter as the Robins fell apart at the Halliwell Jones, but Rovers would save their best performance against the wire for the play-offs. The Rugby League rumour mill started spreading around the City with Rovers been linked with three high profile signings with Toby King, Lachlan Coote and Blake Austin all been named to be on Tony Smiths recruitment list as the first confirmed exit was announced. Local lad George Lawler decided to head for pastures new after declining a new contract from the Reds which included a testimonial but another Hull born Robin penned a three-year extension as playmaker Jordan Abdull signed a new deal with the team to soften the blow of Lawler's departure. Mikey Lewis started the season slowly and was found out in defence out wide which saw him head on a initial four-week loan to York, a move that would see him take his game to the next level in months to come. Ethan Ryan was next to extend his stay in HU9 as the winger signed a two-year extension after a fantastic start to 2021. May 17th will always stick in my memory as the day myself and around 30 other lucky Red's made it back into the concourse as Boris lifted the rules and a maximum of 4000 fans could watch live sport and what a game to be back for. Rovers finally got one over Castleford as the teams faced off for the third time in 2 months as a late show and go from Abdull saw Rovers take home the 2 points with a 26-22 victory with a acrobatic finish from Crooks and another brilliant performance from Parcell and Litten making the headlines. The roller-coaster of emotions didn't stop that week as the RFL stripped Rovers of an "elite" status which saw the club take legal action against the RFL and the club and fans uniting and making a stance against the decision. Just 6 days after that famous night in Cas-vegas, Rovers headed next door to a Wakefield team that sat bottom of the table without a win. The reds gave their poorest performance of the season so far as KR were put to the sword by Chris Chester's men with a brain explosion from Skipper SKD and a Korbin Sims red card summing up the 28-12 defeat, a sign that the club still had plenty to do to improve and break away from the struggling sides in the competition. The end of a hectic month saw the red army return home as we finally got to see Hull KR play at Craven Park with 4000 fans lucky enough to be a part of the homecoming party. Rovers and Leigh met in East Hull with Rovers showing glimpses of brilliance including Brad Takairangi performing a step on former Robin Ian Thornley sending him for a hotdog and young half-back Rowan Milnes running the show as Rovers dominated the Centurions pack with Dean Hadley inspiring the reds to a 40-16 victory as Craven Park finally had its voice back as KR went into the bank holiday weekend 6th in the league.
June - Summer had arrived as June started off with the news that Mikey Lewis had been recalled from his loan deal with York and saw Full back Will Dagger head to Featherstone on a two-week loan. Our under 16's academy beat "Elite" rivals Hull FC 24-18 at Craven Park with the first team sqaud looking on as our stars of the future got one over of city rivals, Zach Fishwick, Jack Krebs and AJ Chambers all putting in a fantastic derby shift. The next two weeks would really shape Hull KR's season and the way the pundits, rival fans and the competition would value the Reds. Salford came to Craven Park in front of another 4000 robins in a game that saw Rovers keep the Red Devils scoreless for 76 minutes. A 40-4 demolishion of the Manchester club blew the Sky team away with inspirational performances from SKD, Linnett, Parcell and Ryan Hall with a moment of magic from Taka seeing the Cook Islander score from his own kick and saluting the North Stand. A sour moment on the final hooter saw man of steel leader Jordan Abdull smashed off the ball leading to a Kane Linnett break away try and a red card for Pauli Pauli as JA7 required treatment by the physios, 2 games with fans at Craven Park, 2 outstanding performances. Two vital retentions during the week leading to the Wigan game saw Captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall sign a one-year extension with the club and second row partner and Scottish international Kane "The Big Red Machine" Linnett also sign a year deal with the option of another in 2023. Both players are obviously in the twilight era of their career but the stalwarts played their best Rugby in 2021 and both deals where greeted with praise by the robins faithful. England played the Auld Enemy at Wembley in the Euro's on Friday 18th June but the action was all in the north west of England. Rovers headed to the DW without key man Jordan Abdull and lined up with Lewis + Taka in the half's and what a stint it was by the men in green and white. Wigan had 7 back to back sets in the first half which saw the tackle of the year from Luis Johnson holding up Sam Powell from close range. Rovers hit the Warriors on the counter with a cut out ball from Taka who found Ben Crooks to give Rovers the lead at the break. The second half saw a calm and composed attitude by the spine with Mikey Lewis providing two wonder assists for Ryan Hall and Adam Quinlan and Matty Storton playing his best game in a Rovers shirt. A full time score of 8-18 saw the Robins cement their place upon Super Leagues top teams in 2021 but a 5 week lay off due to covid was soon to damped the mood of the camp. Hull KR saw the virus rip through the playing squad and staff leading to the postponement of the home tie against St Helens but the news in-form young forward Luis Johnson would be staying with Hull KR for another two-years gave the reds some positive news that week after the former Loanee started playing his best rugby under Tony Smith who highly rates the Jamaican International. The Blake Austin rumour hit new heights with the rugby league press stating Rovers had offered the GB star a contract for 2022 and 2023 which included a six-figure salary, mixed opinions by the supporters at the time. Our friend Coronavirus stayed with the club for a little longer leading to another two weeks of isolation seeing the Hull Derby and the visit of the Catalan Dragons postponed with the Derby moved back to July 15th, or so we thought. With no game for 3 weeks and the thought that Rovers may not hit the 18 game minimum to make the 2021 play offs, a special Parcell was delivered to the homes of East Hull to end the month of June with Hooker Matt Parcell accepting a one-year extension with the club, a deal which showed a statement of intent with the way him and Jez Litten were performing at the time.
July - Rovers completed their first bit of business for 2022 in the early stages of July with the club fighting off Super League rivals to secure the signing of Featherstone and Ireland back-rower Frankie Halton who will make the step up into the top tier in 2022 with a chance to play for his country in the world cup. The biggest transfer of the season was then to follow with 3 time grand final winner and Great Britain full-back Lachlan Coote swapping Merseyside for Humberside in 2022 as Rovers made a real statement of intent by recruiting the best full back in the competition, the signing made worldwide news as the former North Queensland Cowboy turned down an offer from Saints to move to East Hull, a stellar signing for Tony Smiths men but meant that Adam Quinlan's time at Hull KR would come to an end after 5 seasons with the Robins due to the quota spot ruling. The RFL's and Governments covid policy came under heavy scrutiny in July as Rovers saw another two games called off with Warrington and the re-arranged derby postponed again due to positive cases in the oppositions camps sparking fury with the club and fans who saw Rovers' league position dwindle away because of the points percentage rule. The Robins then added two new faces to the 2022 squad with up and coming utility back Sam Wood joining on a one-year deal after turning down a deal with Huddersfield, a player who will add size, speed and versatility to the Robins back line and bolstering prop forward Tom Garratt who will make the step up from Dewsbury to Super League after a successful stint with the rams which saw him pick up every award at their end of year presentation night later in the year, Garrett will add depth and size to the reds pack and will be fighting for his place after a mixed season from oversees forwards Albert Vete and Korbin Sims. Mikey Lewis headed back to York for their 1895 cup final at Wembley which saw the Knights beaten by a rampant Featherstone side but a fantastic effort from Lewis saw him run the show for the North Yorkshire outfit and cross over the line at the national stadium. After St Helens claimed positive cases in their camp 2 days after their challenge cup final parade, Tony Smiths men challenged the RFL and agreed to travel to the South of France to play Catalan on short notice. With only 48 hours notice, no tv coverage or commentary and only 1 lucky traveling fan, Rovers led the Dragons 12-26 at half time only to again blow a substantial lead and lose 32-30 after a late Drinkwater penalty goal took the points away for the reds, but the fact Rovers had played after 5 weeks off was the main aim of the weekend. Salford then postponed their match with the Robins just 2 days before the match was suppose to be played leading to CEO Lakin issuing a statement regarding the leniency of rules for clubs to call off games due to PCR testing. The month ended with Jimmy Keinhorst joining rivals Castleford on a two-week loan to get some game time before he played a vital role in the Robin's end of season run in.
August - For the third time this season the reds faced Catalan with the current league leaders flying over to East Hull in a frustrating performance on a night, the highlight of the night was seeing Adam Quinlan score on what would be his final appearance in a Rovers shirt due to an ongoing shoulder issue with Jordan Abdull also been ruled out for 6 weeks with a thumb injury, Catalan recorded a 16-23 victory but Rovers had bigger issues with two key men been added to the ever-growing injury list. The city of Hull went into mourning the day after the game as Legend Ged Dunn sadly passed away, a fantastic teacher, player and person who will be sadly missed in the city, RIP Ged Dunn x - A vital away clash on TV against winless Leigh was next on the horizon which saw a nervy back and forth encounter ending in a narrow 28-34 victory for Rovers with plenty of aggression and force shown from both packs, a quick fire Adam Sidlow double saw Leigh take the lead in the second half but late tries for Jimmy K and Ryan Hall saw the reds leave the Leigh Sports Village with a win that saw them take 5th place on the ladder. Rovers are certainly building for the future and with the capture of a very inexperienced but promising 18-year-old Phoenix Laulu-Tongag'e on a two-year deal shows the direction Tony Smith is taking the club in. PLT returned to Keighley on loan until the end of 2021. Rowan Milnes was next to put pen to paper as the halfback signed a three-year extension seeing him in East Hull until the end of 2025, with Milnes, Lewis and Abdull as the playmakers, KR have three different types of halfbacks which adds to the versatility and quality of this outfit. Wigan came to seek revenge over the Robins after the earlier defeat in the season but on August 13th Craven Park and Hull KR hit new heights. A 26-14 victory and a double over the warriors including my personal try of the season from Jez Litten as he celebrated in front of his parents in the north stand gave the red army the belief that anything could happen with the Hull Kingston Rovers team. The night was also special off the field as Chairman Neil Hudgell announced he would be staying on as owner of the club as Rovers seemed to be doing everything right both on and off the field. Versatile and no nonsense forward Matty Storton extended his stay with the club until the end of 2024, a reward for a fantastic 2 seasons with the reds so far. The long anticipated Hull Derby was next on the calendar with Rovers heading to Hull City's MKM stadium to face the black and whites. A lacklustre and inconsistent performance saw the robins edged out 23-22 after a late flurry wasn't enough to take the bragging rights. KR didn't click on the day against a pumped up FC who needed the win to keep their play off hopes alive but the red men left West Hull knowing if they can click, anything can happen in the final few games of the season. 2 games in 5 days against two teams who had nothing to play for in Wakefield and Huddersfield gave Rovers the optimism that two wins against their white rose rivals could cemented their play off position for 2021. A patched up rovers side showed no energy, no passion and no organisation in both games which shocked the fans as Rovers lost 18-25 at home to Trinity and was embarrassed at the John Smith's Stadium 40-28 which at the time, looked like the final nail in the coffin with end an end of season injury to Dean Hadley and Milnes with Sims and Storton all picking up knocks as reds headed into September with three must win games on the horizon.
September - As we headed into the final month of the season, reports and later confirmation that Greg Minikin would be leaving the Robins to join Daryl Powell at Warrington saw another regular leave the reds in 2022. Magic Weekend was next and Rovers headed to the toon knowing they had to beat a Leigh side doomed for relegation to keep their top 6 dream alive. A poor start from Rovers saw Leigh take the lead but Rovers came out firing in the second half and got the vital two points beating Leigh 44-6 with Storton, Parcell, Litten and Vete the star men at St James Park and also showed the unity of the squad as Ben Crooks assisted Joe Keyes a easy try on his first performance of the season, a sign that this team appreciate every squad member even if they haven't had the game time, Will Dagger also making his first appearance of 2021 with a solid performance. Key figure and Rovers regular Ben Crooks extended his stay until the end of 2022 and Rovers announced the signing of 2014 grand finalist Greg Richards who joins the club from London, a player who will add much needed experience and grunt to the Rovers pack. Academy trio Daniel Okoro, Connor Moore and Max Kirkbright all signed two-year deals with the first team from 2022 who will all benefit from the reserve system coming back next year. A new crest and identity was brought upon us in September with the #RiseAgain branded alongside "The Robins" as Rovers moved with the times creating a new digitally friendly badge which caused a mixed bag of opinions from both Rovers and rival fans but proved very popular in the club shop which saw record daily sales with the clothing range that was released with the new badge, Rovers are a team moving forward in everything they are doing. Utility man Jimmy Keinhorst who had proved vital playing in several positions in 2021 landed a one-year extension with the club as we headed into the biggest game of the season, Castleford at home. Rovers went into the game just ahead of the tigers on the percentage system knowing if they could do the league double over Cas, Rovers could be in the play offs by next week depending on other results. Rovers turned it on again in a party atmosphere at Craven Park. A Mikey Lewis double and tries from Linnett and Parcell gave Rovers a much needed 26-19 victory with Jordan Abdull making his first appearance since the Catalan game which sent a huge boost throughout the team. The bond between the players and fans accumulated in a outpour of emotion as the reds paraded Craven Park one last time in 2021 as we said goodbye to our hero Mose, what a night in East Hull. The week leading to the final regular game of the season saw Will Dagger sign a two-year extension and top try scorer Ryan Hall (who had picked up a "end of season" injury) add another year onto his current deal seeing both players in Red and White until the end of 2023 adding to the positive vibe around the club which was topped off the day before Leeds away with Warrington beating Castleford meaning Hull Kingston Rovers would compete in the play offs for the first time since 2013, a fantastic achievement by everyone involved both on and off the pitch. The final game of the season was simple, whoever won between Leeds and Rovers travelled to Wigan, the loser faced Warrington. That night in Leeds seemed very costly for the Robins who lost Korbin Sims and Matt Parcell for the reminder of the season to add to the recent losses of Minikin, Hall and Lawler. The beaten and broken Robins seemed gassed as Leeds pumped the Reds 36-12 with a play off eliminator against Warrington on the cards looking like a mountain that may be too high for Rovers to climb. Will Maher's performances earned him a one-year extension which meant all off-contracted players for 2021 had their future settled with Owen Harrison heading to Dewsbury in 2022 after limited appearances in the past 3 seasons. The 24th September, Warrington v HKR, play offs. 20/1 on SKYBET, Rovers travelled to Warrington with only 19 fit men against a team that only had Mike Cooper unavailable due to suspension, what was to follow was possible the greatest Hull KR performance in our Super League history. Over 2000 travelling Reds saw Rovers defend and attack for their lives as Tony's men recorded a famous 0-19 victory to send them into the final 4. Mikey Lewis’ chip and chase in front of the Rovers faithful silenced the home crowd with tries from Jordan Abdull who also kicked a field goal and Jimmy Keinhorst seeing off the tired wolves. That performance summed up what this 2021 HKR team are about, fight, pride, passion and desire in a backs against the wall performance. After watching it back on the TV knowing the result, Rovers were dominant throughout the game and Lewis and Abdull's kicking destroyed the Wire back line putting us on the front foot throughout and some fantastic goal line defence shut down any momentum from the favourites in attack. So here we are, Rovers are in a semi final, away in France. Myself and two friends booking our hotel, flights and covid passes in a car park in Warrington to watch our team in the semi final of Super League. Kane Linnett was rewarded for his fine 2021 by been included in the Super League dream team as Rovers headed to Perpignan to take on the league leaders, both sides trying to make Old Trafford for the first time. As we headed into Perpignan town with around 80 other Rovers fans, the atmosphere between both fans was in good spirits as we headed to the ground. The atmosphere was hostile and everything you'd expect playing away in Europe, imagine Rocky when he fought Ivan Drago in Russia, that's how it felt, flares, chants, and plenty of beer been drunk. On the night Rovers were boosted by the return of Ryan Hall but ultimately ran out of steam after loosing the ruck too many times in the first 40. Drinkwater and Maloney ran the show for the dragons and a few uncharacteristic mistakes from Dagger and Abdull cost Rovers in key areas. Tries for SKD and Hall wasn't enough as the French team beat the spirited Robins 28-10 ending the season for Tony Smith and his warriors but that wasn't for the lack of trying. As heart-breaking as that night was in France, the fans, staff and players can be proud of the effort from the patched up squad who fought until the very end and can look back fondly on 2021 knowing they have put themselves in a fantastic position to kick on and progress in 2022 but as a Rovers and Rugby League fan, even though having a French side in the Grand Final is seen as progress, it would have meant more for our club to have made it to the final, the Catalan fans are great, but as i sat in my seat after the final whistle, the majority of the French seemed to have forgot they had made in to the final about 10 minutes after the final whistle, for them it seemed more of a party event rather then a Rugby Semi-Final, but opinions are opinions and the better team won on the night. Assistant coaches Danny Mcguire, Stanley Gene and David Hodgson all signed one-year deals to take them into 2022 with the boss Tony Smith which is great to see the trio carry on sharing their wealth of knowledge with the players.
October - Post season saw Mikey Lewis and Castleford bound George Lawler represent England Knights against Jamaica and Jordan Abdull start half back for the England first team in a 10-30 victory over France with JA7 kicking 3 goals on his England debut after a fantastic season for the man of steel nominee. Irish international and fans favourite George King signed a three-year deal with the club after a brilliant 2021 which saw the prop take his game to the next level and cement his place at the top of the pecking order in the middle of the park as he aims for a world cup spot with the emerald isle in 2022.
For Rovers the aim is progression, as good as 2021 was we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and we must break away consistently from the bottom 4 teams and aim for another play-off spot in 2022. Lachlan Coote will add class and experience in the spine working with Lewis, Milnes, Abdull, Litten and Parcell and you feel if Rovers can win the ruck down the middle, them 6 just named will produce their best rugby working with a winning pack. Elliot Minchella and Ethan Ryan will be like new signings in 2022 after a injury hit campaign with Minchella hoping to reclaim his 2020 form which saw him been talked about for Shaun Wane's England team. Like we have seen with SKD, lets hope his "second season syndrome" which has seen him go from zero to hero can rub off on Vete, Sims and Takairangi who we have seen glimpses of magic from all 3, but not on a consistent basis, a big pre season is needed from the trio. The Robins have set the benchmark now and everyone involved at the club now knows this team can progress and compete at the top level of Super League and after reaching the semi-final with a broken squad after all the obstacles thrown their way, the aim must be to match or go one better in the years to come - Up the Robins !
Player of the season - SKD
Young Player of the season - Litten
Joe Appleyard - Red Robin Podcast
