Anyone who has taken the journey to Hull KR over the years will have noticed two very prominent and deliberate street names as you make your way along the M62, to the A63 and through the centre of the city.
First, there is Clive Sullivan Way: named after the legendary former Hull FC and Hull KR player who was the first black captain for Great Britain in any sport.
Then when you pass through the centre of Hull, you travel along Roger Millward Way: a man synonymous with the fabric of Hull KR; their greatest player and a man so important to this club, they retired the No 6 shirt.
It would perhaps be a stretch to suggest victory for the Robins in the Super League Grand final next Saturday would guarantee one of this squad a similar legacy but given how starved the club have been of success for nearly 40 years, there is every possibility a match-winning hero would be spoken of with similar fondness.
Since 1985, Rovers have played second-fiddle to their neighbours across the city. But the times are changing in Hull and these days it is the Robins who are the superior force by the banks of the Humber. Bottom of Super League four years ago, they have emerged as one of the league’s best sides: but there remains one black mark against their name.
For 39 years, they have failed to win a major trophy. They have been close: as recently as last year they lost the Challenge Cup final. But this could be their moment, after they survived the most absorbing and engrossing playoff semi-final to book a first- appearance at Old Trafford, where Wigan or Leigh await.
Rovers’ cynics would have expected them to struggle here, given how they had home advantage and were favourites against a Warrington side who have made great strides under Sam Burgess this year. But they showed no nerves whatsoever in a one-sided first-half, forging a 10-0 lead thanks to tries from James Batchelor and Joe Burgess.
But after half-time, Wire responded. Two tries from Matty Ashton brought them firmly back into contention and set the nerves jangling inside Craven Park. Crucially though, Josh Thewlis missed both conversions, meaning Rovers kept a slender two-point lead: which they preserved to spark wild celebrations.
“They had to dig deep and I’m really proud but there’s one to go,” their coach, Willie Peters, said. “We’ll enjoy this and then we’ll reset and go one better next week.”
This is a club who have endured great hardship in recent decades and had it not been for the continued investment of their owner, Neil Hudgell, they may not have been here to enjoy this success.
Peters will bring Hudgell in to speak to the players in the buildup to Old Trafford to remind them of that. His side were superb in the first half, with Batchelor breaking the deadlock before Burgess crossed with an element of controversy. He appeared to be held up over the line but the decision was sent to the video referee with an on-field decision of try. It meant there was little scope to overturn the call and perhaps understandably, Sam Burgess was frustrated. “He had 10 looks at it,” he said. “If you take that long to look at it, how do you send it up as a try?”
His side battled valiantly after half-time, with two wonderful individual finishes from Ashton bringing the Wolves back into it: but Thewlis’ two missed goals kept them behind.
The final quarter was littered with tension and drama. Rovers fumbled inside their own half on multiple occasions and you wondered if history was about to repeat itself. But as Peters said, this group are made of sterner stuff.
The walls of Craven Park are full of pictures from years gone by, with greats including Sullivan and Millward everywhere you look. It is now the class of 2024’s chance to etch their names into history.
