George King absence explained as Willie Peters makes Hull KR squad assessment

There were a few second looks at the teamsheet when George King was named as the 18th man for Hull KR against Wigan Warriors, but for Willie Peters, it's a testament to the squad the club has built.

King returned from a hamstring setback to the Rovers line-up in Perpignan last week as the side lost to Catalans Dragons. However, he missed out as Peters' outfit dismantled Wigan 26-10 at Craven Park on Friday night.

For Peters, who went with an interchange of Sam Luckley, Matt Storton, Matt Parcell, and Kelepi Tanginoa, it's very much a squad game, with the head coach having to make those sorts of tough decisions every week with a fit and firing group to choose from.

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"George has been out for a while with his injury, and the side that played was pretty much the side that has been playing," Peters said. "We've got to reward those guys. George came back a week earlier last week. He had one stint and with his hamstring, that's all the physios wanted.

"Matt Storton can cover the prop and back row spots, so it's important to have that interchange. Jesse Sue has been doing an outstanding job since starting. Since Jesse started, we haven't dropped a game. He got Man of the Match here, so he's been great.

"Jai has been very strong for us as well. Unfortunately, we're going to have players who miss out. It's part and parcel when you're trying to grow a squad, not just a team. We like to think we've got a squad that can do a job no matter who drops out and comes in. For George, it was unfortunate he didn't make the 17."

Peters also drafted Oliver Gildart back into the side, who replaced Tom Opacic. "Tom did a good job when he was in," Peters added. "There was a period where we went on a winning streak with Tom in the centres but he had a shoulder injury tonight so unfortunately he couldn't play, but Gilly did a great job."

Read more: Hull KR dismantle Wigan Warriors in statement Super League performance