The Hull KR boss will leave the club for the NRL at the end of the season.
13:08, 27 Mar 2026Updated 13:29, 27 Mar 2026
Hull Kingston Rovers’ head coach Willie Peters lifts the trophy with CEO Paul Lakin.
Willie Peters is ‘fully engaged and fully excited’ at becoming the first ever head coach of new NRL franchise PNG Chiefs.
As widely reported this week, the Hull KR supremo will leave the Robins at the end of the year before taking over the Australian competitions’ newest and 19th entity prior to their inaugural 2028 season.
Peters will have a full year to recruit and prepare a squad for the demands of the NRL, with Peter V’Landys stating that the Rovers boss has what it takes to make a real fist of it in his Australian homeland.
Reports Down Under have suggested that Peters, who was part of the Australian Kangaroo staff under Kevin Walters for last year’s Ashes success, will sign with the Chiefs until the end of the 2030 season, with an announcement coming next week.
Of course, the Australian, who currently holds all four major honours at Hull KR, will remain with the club until the end of the 2026 season.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, V’landys said: “He’s fully engaged, fully excited. He has got a whole country behind him. We went through a thorough process. We interviewed a number of potential candidates, but Willie has the most potential.
“I saw him first-hand in England with the Kangaroos and he’s very personable and professional. You can see why he has success.
“Our role was only to ensure that they had a coach. It is now up to Willie and Michael Chammas (General Manager) to determine the roster. They’ve now got a team ready to look at signing players. They have the two most important positions filled.”
Meanwhile Peters’ agent, former NRL player and now TV pundit Braith Anasta, has stated that the move was always one that interested the coach – who is backed to make a success of what will be a very team-orientated project in PNG, on and off the field.
“He told me that PNG was always his number one priority,” Anasta said. “He loved the idea about starting a new franchise and he understands how passionate the people of PNG are about rugby league.
“He had success building a team at Hull KR and sees a resemblance of that in the PNG team. He is experienced in that area and it is perfect for him.
“He is a man’s man; players love him. The Chiefs are going to be in their own community and spend a lot of time with each other, which is similar to Hull KR. He wanted that.
“I didn’t entertain interest from other clubs as much as I usually would. I didn’t want to stuff any clubs around. He wanted the job, and he thinks it suits him.”