Hull KR may be preparing to say farewell to Matt Parcell at the end of the season, but it’s fair to say the club won’t be short of hooker options in 2025. Rovers have already been busy when it comes to recruitment with five signings being announced for next season.
Of those new additions, two are hookers with Micky McIlorum and Bill Leyland making the move to east Hull from Catalans Dragons and London Broncos respectively. The pair will be joining established number nine and fan favourite Jez Litten in the Craven Park hooker ranks and collectively they will give Willie Peters depth and security in the position.
They could also give the head coach something of a selection headache as he bids to manage their game time and provide the opportunities the trio will command. Peters would obviously rather have options than none at all, but the head coach will hope to find a solution that suits everyone over the winter months.
The Hull KR manager told the BBC, “We have a pre-season to work that out. They all bring different strengths. Naturally, Micky brings aggression, and no one enjoys playing against him. You can see that when he plays and how he approaches the game. However, there is definitely no rush for Bill. We want to get Bill the best learning and development as possible and he’ll get that from Micky and Jez. Bill’s coming in with the attitude that he wants to be eligible for that first game so I love that as a coach.
Obviously, Jez is going to be at the club for a long period of time so they all bring something different. For me, doing what Jez did on the weekend, I know he played minimal minutes and there were different reasons for that, but he played a massive part in us getting that win.
“It will work itself out, but Jez and Mick will start at some point, and hopefully Bill Leyland will join them at some point as well.”
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