Willie Peters has backed his star half-back to shine on the biggest stage this weekend.
Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis is second-favourite to win the Rob Burrow Player of the Match Award at Old Trafford.
Mikey Lewis has been urged to seize his Super League Grand Final opportunity this Saturday – just as Reece Walsh did with a standout performance in Brisbane Broncos’ triumph over Melbourne Storm in the NRL showdown.
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters believes his star half-back is ready to shine on the game’s biggest stage, as the Robins bid to secure their first-ever Super League title and complete a historic treble at Old Trafford against Wigan Warriors.
The influential playmaker has been backed to mentally prepare for the biggest game of the season, with the potential to produce a masterclass performance – much like Brisbane’s Walsh.
The Australian full-back starred in his side’s 26-22 victory, scoring a brilliant solo try, providing three assists, and making more tackle breaks than any other player on the field in a player-of-the-match display at Accor Stadium, Sydney.
Lewis, 24, meanwhile has been central to Hull KR’s success this season, directly involved in more tries than any other player as the club finished top of the Super League table. He also nailed the crucial match-winning conversion at Wembley to end the club’s 40-year trophy drought with the Challenge Cup in June.
“It’s obviously going to be up to Mikey,” said Peters. “Look at what Reece Walsh did last week – there would have been some stage that he set in his mind where he wanted to go out and own the Grand Final.
“It doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to mentally prepare for it. Reece Walsh has built his game, but I’m confident that at some point he thought, ‘I need to be a beast. I want to own this Grand Final,’ and I think that’s where Mikey needs to be. He needs to mentally tap into that.
“It’s not putting pressure on him. We know he’s one of our X-factors.”
Peters also praised fellow playmaker Tyrone May for his role in shaping Hull KR’s attacking structure.
“Tyrone May also adds a lot to our attack and our overall structure and how we look,” the Rovers boss added. “He’s a different type of player, but I want him to tap into that as well.”
Hull KR are looking to avenge last year’s narrow 9-2 defeat to Wigan at the Theatre of Dreams, and Peters says his side will make key adjustments to get the better of their in-form rivals.
The regular season meetings finished one apiece: Wigan claimed a 28-12 win in April, while Rovers edged a bruising August encounter 10-6.
“There’s a couple of little things that we’ll tweak,” Peters said. “They’re a hard team to break down and score against, so again it’ll come down to moments, but with little subtle changes that we believe will work from a tactical perspective.
“Overall, you’ve got to be in the fight and have the right mindset. In terms of the tough stuff and the intent, I think that needs to come first and the other stuff will come on the back of that.”
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