All eyes will be on the city of Hull this month. For the west half of the city, there is Wembley and Hull FC’s Challenge Cup final against Wigan but, on the east side, there is an even bigger – and potentially more important – fight about to begin.
Almost 12 months have passed since Hull Kingston Rovers were relegated in a Million Pound Game that will surely never be beaten in terms of drama. In that match, Rovers led by eight points with three minutes remaining only to surrender that advantage then succumb to a Salford drop goal in extra time that ended their nine-year stay in Super League in spectacular fashion.
What one of the sport’s most famous clubs chose to do next was crucial. Ultimately, they opted to press on with the plans they had put together before relegation; Australia’s 2013 World Cup-winning coach, Tim Sheens, took charge and having sauntered through the Championship’s regular season as expected the serious business begins on Sunday against Halifax.
Rovers are back in the Qualifiers, the seven-game mini-series to determine the remaining four places in Super League next year, after finishing top of the Championship. But this time they are the hunters, not the hunted.
“It’s been different, there’s no doubt,” Sheens says of his experiences of England’s second-tier and trips to places such as Batley and Dewsbury. “But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far.”
There is the belief that such is the work Sheens has done this season, Rovers are better positioned than they were 12 months ago when they were a Super League side. Their captain, Shaun Lunt, agrees. “The whole club is in a great place at the moment,” he says.
Off the field, attendances have risen – as have sponsorship and other financial income streams – and crucially, their squad looks stronger than last year.
“Everyone has done their job,” Sheens says. “The fans have supported us, the management have backed us on and off the field and the numbers in the squad are good in that regard – but now it’s up to the team. It falls on us now and it starts now.”
Rovers have plenty of top-flight experience in the squad, with Lunt a Grand Final winner with Leeds in 2012. He is fully aware of what promotion would represent for himself and his club. “If we could get back into Super League then that, for me, would be bigger than winning a Grand Final or anything I’ve done,” he says.
“You can win trophies but the significance of promotion and what it would mean to everyone in this area would make it the biggest.”
Leigh, who replaced Rovers last year, are one of four Super League sides competing in the Qualifiers, with many believing the top-flight quartet are more vulnerable this year. So who is the pressure on: the chasing pack or the sides battling for survival? “It’s a good question,” Sheens says. “I would say for sure that they would be very worried about relegation. I’m sure clubs like Warrington are sat there thinking they’ll skip through it and they might get a surprise or two.
“On its day the division has surprised me but we’ll find out on Sunday how ready we are.”
