Hull KR boss Willie Peters reveals six-figure transfer fee that meant he never joined Hull FC

boss has revealed how close he came to becoming a player - and what’s underpinned his rise as a coach.

The Australian hopes to lead Rovers to their first-ever Super League title when they face Wigan on Saturday night. He played scrum-half in the 2000 Grand Final for Wigan but ended up on the losing side against a St Helens team featuring the likes of Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham and Kevin Iro. Peters, who claimed Betfred Super League Coach of the Year on Tuesday, first came to the UK to play for Gateshead in 1999.

They merged with Hull at the end of their first season but Peters was one of the few who didn’t make the switch so avoided playing for his current club’s fierce rivals. He recalled: “It was a funny one. At the end of the season, [Gateshead CEO] Shane Richardson called us in on a Friday afternoon and said, pretty much, the club is folding and will be no longer.

“We’d all be going to Hull FC. The next week, they went to Hull but I got a call from Wigan on the Saturday. It happened so quickly. Shane initially said he wasn’t letting me go. Then [Wigan CEO] Maurice Lindsay told him what the transfer fee would be - £100,000. And Richo said he’d pay for my ticket!”

Fellow Aussie Richardson has had a big impact on Peters and his unusual career path. Having retired due to injury aged just 27, he went home and worked for Richardson at his former club South Sydney. Peters, 45, explained: “I worked in sponsorship initially. I always wanted to coach but finished playing early and got a bit lost because I’d always just been rugby league.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do. But Richo gave me that opportunity which was massive. He saw something in me and I used that to develop my skills: communication, dealing with people, being in boardrooms - I’d never been in one of those before - and then working with CEOs and sponsors. It all helped me be a better communicator and understand the other side of the business.

“I always wanted to coach but I wanted to make sure I was ready to go again. After two years away, I started coaching the juniors, the Under 16s, 18s, then 20s, then assistant first team coach. I took my time and did that deliberately. I wanted to do it the right way. That’s what I’ve done.”

Having reached Wembley in his first year as Robins boss last season, losing to Leigh in the Challenge Cup final, Peters hopes to go one better at Old Trafford. He’s helped Rovers secure their highest-ever Super League finish of second and said: “I’ll just be telling them to enjoy this moment. My recollections of 2000 are a bit of a blur but they have to enjoy it. For some, it could be their only Grand Final. We know Wigan will be tough but we’ll prep’ well and we know what we can do.”