The Robins host Castleford on Saturday.
Arthur Mourgue is tackled by Junior Nsemba and Brad O’Neill.
As Hull KR enter the home straight, Willie Peters is in exactly the position he wants. A strong squad, almost fully fit, and a reality where outstanding players will have to be left out.
Even with Tyrone May unavailable through suspension, and that is undoubtedly a blow, the options at Peters’ disposal remain strong. Picking a 17 isn’t easy.
Let’s start with the obvious challenge which is at halfback. May has rarely missed games during his time at Rovers and this isn’t an easy decision.
The obvious decision would be to move Jez Litten into the halves, as has often been the case. However, Litten has generally replaced Mikey Lewis, not May, and both Litten and Lewis are left-footed kickers.
It is not a natural partnership, and for that reason, we think Peters may pursue a different approach here.
We’re tipping a move to the halves for Frenchman Arthur Mourgue, who has exclusively played at fullback during his time at the club. Why do we think this? It provides flexibility in the outside backs as it would allow the versatile Jack Broadbent to return to fullback and Noah Booth could then go in at centre.
With that, Rovers have the ability to try out a number of different options during this game. They can move Litten into the halves and play Micky McIlorum for a longer spell at nine. They can move Mourgue back to fullback, too. It gives the team some flexibility when they’re without an important cog.
Moving into the pack, selecting that is so difficult right now with everyone available. Peters has rotated regularly in recent games, with the likes of Elliot Minchella, Dean Hadley and Jai Whitbread all getting breaks.
But with a big run incoming, Rovers will go full-tilt; it’s just working out exactly what that looks like. Everyone will have their own opinion on that and in reality, in probably changes week to week.
In this instance, Sam Luckley is the player we’ve left out. For starters, it’s hard to see Hadley and Whitbread being kept out of the side, given they’ve now had two weeks off. Against a Castleford side that has looked frail on the edges recently, the prospect of Kelepi Tanginoa coming off the bench feels like an exciting one.
Factor in that Luckley has only missed one game since the beginning of March, making him a strong contender to be rotated, we think the Geordie may sit this one out. If Luckley were to play, Sauaso Sue could be the one who drops out given he’s only missed one game all season.
Predicted Hull KR team: Jack Broadbent, Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Noah Booth, Joe Burgess, Mikey Lewis, Arthur Mourgue, Sauaso Sue, Micky McIlorum, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, James Batchelor, Rhyse Martin, Elliot Minchella. Subs: Jez Litten, Dean Hadley, Kelepi Tanginoa, Jai Whitbread.