Hull KR coach Willie Peters on top-two finish and Gildart, Evalds and Tanginoa fitness
Hull Kingston Rovers coach Willie Peters spoke of his pride at the players for finishing in the top two of Super League and said they "want to go and do something now" - adding that he is hopeful Oliver Gildart, Niall Evalds and Kelepi Tanginoa will all play in the semi-final.
Rovers booked their place in the top two with a 26-16 victory over Leeds Rhinos to earn a weekend without a game followed by a semi-final at Craven Park. It was another case of them securing a win when they needed to after a succession of victories under pressure in recent times.
Peters said: "I'm really proud of the players to finish second in the competition, with the way it is, it's not easy to do. The players needed to get that week off, they've worked really hard. At half-time, we weren't where we needed to be but they sorted themselves in the second half.
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"You've got to celebrate the little wins along the way. Everyone is striving for top two, that's where you want to be. But we are not content. We want to go and do something now because we are in the position to do that."
A noticeable omission from the team sheet was Oliver Gildart, who has had a rib concern, with Tom Opacic starting in the centres. Niall Evalds was out after a failed HIA, Kelepi Tanginoa missed out with a hamstring injury and Elliot Minchella was serving the first of a two-game ban that the club will appeal against at a hearing.
Discussing Gildart, Peters said: "He probably could have played. But I just wanted to go with a team that was fit, that's why we went with Tom. Gilly is feeling uncomfortable with his ribs. We chose to go with players that we believed would do the job who are fit and not worry too much about their bodies and how they felt and more about getting the result."
Asked if him, Evalds and Tanginoa would be ok for the next game, the Hull KR coach replied: "You'd like to think so. Niall will be fine, Kelepi will be. We'll wait and see how Ollie is as well. We'll know more this week."
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