Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR: Robins on Lachie Miller alert as coach Willie Peters issues 'danger' warning
Opponents Hull KR have been warned of the damage Leeds Rhinos’ Lachie Miller will do if they give him too much time and space on the ball in Thursday’s big game at AMT Headingley.
Miller scored a sensational try when Rhinos won 14-8 at Hull KR last month and Rovers coach Willie Peters revealed he is a fan of the in-form full-back from his time in the NRL with Cronulla Sharks and Newcastle Knights. “I’ve always rated Lachie,” Peters said. “He copped a little bit last year from the media and around his performances and stuff, but sometimes it can take a little bit of time to settle into a new country, new environment, new competition. Whenever you’re coaching against him, you know he’s a threat. He has got that sevens background, he likes space, he likes time. We need to make sure we take that away from him, because he’s a danger.”
Peters expects his table-topping side to be pushed all the way by fourth-placed Leeds in this week’s Sky Sports-televised encounter. He predicted: “They are going to be physical. They are unpredictable at times with the way they play with the ball because they have a lot of individuals who like space and time. If it’s not on one side of the field, they’ll try to explore and find it on the other, but we know what’s coming through the middle.
“I know the way Brad [Arthur] coaches and the style he likes; that’s an aggressive style, but we like that as well. It’s important we win that battle through that middle because, as I always say, if you do, that goes a long way to winning the game.”
After finishing eighth in 2023 and 2024, Rhinos have had a resurgence under Arthur, who joined them 10 games from the end of last season and has agreed to stay on next year. “Brad has done a wonderful job,” Peters said. “You can see the impact he has had on the group and on the fans. He is a good, honest fella and a straight shooter, which is what players want. You can see that what he’s doing over there has been effective, so it’s good for the game over here to keep someone like Brad in our competition.”
Last month’s victory at Hull KR meant Rhinos have beaten all their top-flight rivals since Arthur took charge in July last year. Hull KR were 20-14 winners when the sides met at AMT Headingley last April and Peters reflected: “They probably look at the first game and think they should have won that.
“We look at the second game and we should have won that one because we had missed opportunities where we could have gone in 14-0 or 20-0 at half time. There’s a lot of teams in this competition who are even in terms of on their day anyone can beat anyone. It's no different this week and that’s why we’ve got to prep’ the right way and we have to perform, because if you don't perform against Leeds, you get beaten.”