The pain of recent history will weigh heavily on the minds of both Sam Burgess and Willie Peters as the respective coaches of Warrington and Hull KR plot a path to Betfred Challenge Cup glory at Wembley on Saturday.
Redemption would be swift for Burgess if he can inspire a side riddled with injury concerns to see off the current Super League leaders and erase the memory of last year’s miserable 18-8 final defeat to Wigan.
Meanwhile Peters has the lingering memories of Rovers’ heartbreaking 2023 final loss to Leigh to erase, not to mention a 40-year trophyless streak to explode as his side look to live up to their deserved billing as heavy favourites.
For Burgess, the current campaign has come in stark contrast to his successful debut season as a Super League coach, with injuries ravaging the Wolves spine and inconsistency leaving them languishing in eighth place in the table, but it has presented a challenge he has relished.
“This year has been enjoyable because I’ve learned a lot more,” said Burgess, who has resisted speculation that he is set for a swift return to Australia’s NRL, insisting he is committed to seeing out his current contract with Warrington which expires in 2026.
“This year has been different to the first year. The first year was smooth sailing, but this year has been challenging with a number of things on and off the field.
“I’ve had to make some hard decisions and lost some key players at key times, and really had to think about coaching and different strategies. I think the group has learned a little bit more together as well, and this weekend is another chance for us to go as a group.”
Captain George Williams has declared himself fit to return less than eight weeks after undergoing ankle surgery, but the respective absences through injury of hooker Danny Walker and winger Matty Ashton represent a major blow to Warrington’s hopes of clinching a first title since 2019.
Mindful of the way in which his side fell flat in last year’s showpiece, Burgess is coy about the changes he has made in a bid to get his hands on the trophy for the first time as either a coach or a player, having fallen short of Wembley in his early-career stint with Bradford Bulls.
“I’ve changed a couple of things that I learned from last year,” said Burgess, who also refused to be drawn on what it would mean for him to add a Challenge Cup success to his CV at a relatively early stage in his coaching career.
“There’s a lot of work to be done between now and the final whistle, so I try not to live that fantasy life,” said Burgess. “I try and stay in the present. It’s probably best asking what it means after the game. But any chance of winning silverware is important.”
Rovers boss Peters has told his players to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with being the domestic game’s pre-eminent force, with the club having scarcely looked back since Lachlan Lam’s drop-goal denied them their long-awaited triumph in 2023.
East Hull has been awash with reminders that it is four decades since the Robins last lifted major honours, and Peters, who has immersed himself in the club and its community since he arrived as a relatively little-known head coach in 2023, is under no illusions about what a win would mean.
“I don’t think about what it would mean for me, but I think it about the effect it will have on our club,” said Peters.
“The people involved can be legends of this club for a long time, so that excites me. What would excite me would be being in a WhatsApp group for the next 30 or 40 years with the guys who won a Challenge Cup, and being able to come back and meet up.
“We are a community club. I have always said our sole aim is to make our community proud, and we have got the chance to do that this weekend.”
Peters admitted glancing back at certain aspects of the 2023 final but has resisted plunging into the negative emotions that followed that loss, pointing out his side’s ability to shrug it off almost immediately and finish their domestic campaign on a high.
“I’ve watched some segments of the (2023) final because I know what I want to use this week, not so much about the emotions but around different actions in the game,” added Peters.
“If you talk about where you want to go, I believe that’s a stronger emotion, so that’s what I will be tapping into.”
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