Super League 2020 Preview - Hull KR

Few doors revolve as frequently as the one in and out of Hull KR. It has been another winter of change for the Robins. The 2019 campaign was another one of struggle as head coach Tim Sheens made way for Tony Smith in June and Rovers escaped relegation by what another Smith, Sky cricket commentator Ian, might refer to as the 'barest of margins'. Rovers finished above London Broncos only on points difference and even then only because Danny Ward's side failed to beat Wakefield Trinity in their final game. Had they done so Smith (Tony that is) would be looking at a three-year contract starting in the Championship and perhaps poring over the small print to find that all important get-out clause.

As it is he has reshaped his side significantly. The biggest name through the entrance is that of Shaun Kenny-Dowall. The former Roosters centre has played 21 times for New Zealand and was a Grand Final winner with the NRL outfit in 2013. In 2017 he was charged with a drugs offence and although he was later cleared it paved the way for a move to Newcastle Knights before his arrival on Humberside. At 32 years old he is not one for the future, but if he can produce his very best form then Rovers' fans might have something special to look forward to in the short term.

Matt Parcell is another Grand Final winner to join the Smith revolution after he was deemed surplus to requirements by Leeds Rhinos, while Greg Minikin was part of the Castleford Tigers squad which stormed the League Leaders Shield in 2017 by a 10-point margin before going down at Old Trafford to Parcell's Rhinos. The Broncos relegation has persuaded back rower Matty Gee and playmaker Jordan Abdull to head north and with other eye-catching recruits such as Daniel Murray from Salford Red Devils and Harvey Livett from Warrington Wolves it is hoped that fortunes can be improved. Livett has extended his loan period from the Wolves and could be one of the keys in 2020. He is a year older with experience in both the back row and at stand-off whose versatility could prove very useful.

Making room for all this recruitment are some fairly well known names. Danny McGuire has finally retired after just two seasons at KCom Craven Park while Josh Drinkwater beats an even hastier retreat, returning to Catalans Dragons after just one year. Joining him in France will be Joel Tomkins while Salford have snapped up all of Ryan Lannon, Chris Atkin and James Greenwood as they look to do their own rebuild. Danny Addy has dropped down to the Championship with Leigh Centurions.

Perhaps the biggest issue for Rovers going into the season however does not concern any of these comings and goings but a player who has been with the team since 2017. Mose Masoe suffered a terrible spinal injury in a pre-season friendly against Wakefield on January 12 and sadly Smith has confirmed today that the injury is a career ending one. His basic health is the most pressing concern at the moment and any thoughts of getting him back on to a rugby league field always seemed distant and completely secondary. A Grand Final winner with Saints in 2014, Masoe is certainly in the thoughts of all Saints fans and we wish him all the best as he bids to get back to health. So too I'm sure will everybody at Rovers and throughout the sport. A traumatic situation can sometimes galvanise a squad of players, the emotion dragging them along to produce their very best. Or it can become too much for them, making the results of rugby league games seem trivial by comparison. It is a testing time for everyone at Hull KR whichever way you look at it.

Back on the field it is vital that Kenny-Dowall and company improve the Robins' attacking output. Only the Broncos scored fewer than Hull KR's 90 tries last term while nobody made fewer tackle busts. Only the men from the capital and the Huddersfield Giants made fewer clean breaks and defensively Smith's side have a lot of improvement to make. They managed to butcher 1202 tackles throughout 2019, the only Super League side to miss more than 1200 in the season. This translated to the concession of 768 points from their 29 league outings, which again was only bettered for its ineptitude by those Broncos and Giants. In a small note of consolation, 768 is also the number of points shipped in by Rovers' Jeckyll and Hyde city rivals Hull FC. Defence was something of a foreign country in Hull in 2019, but at least the black and whites posted enough points (645) to keep their heads way above water even if they eventually missed out on the playoffs. Rovers managed only 548 points at an average of less than 19 per game, with Ken Sio leading the way with 13.

The opening game at home to Wakefield on January 31 looks huge even at that embryonic stage of the season. Rovers come out of that and fall straight into the frying pan that is the Hull derby in round 2 on February 7. After that they go to Leeds, host Huddersfield and end the first five rounds of the season with a visit from Castleford Tigers. All of these games, including what will probably be a rejuvenated Leeds side, have to be seen as winnable for Rovers if they are going to compete nearer to the top end of the table than the bottom. Smith will believe they are winnable too. The former Warrington and Leeds coach is not short of a bit of confidence and if he can get his players to believe in themselves as much as he does good things could happen. Equally, they could enter a hideous stretch in March which includes trips to Wigan and St Helens and a home clash with the Wolves with confidence hanging by a thread if early season results don't go their way.

Rovers have to be viewed as one of the realistic relegation candidates. Their fans will be pleased to note that I have been wrong before, but the squad that Smith has assembled still doesn't convince many that it has the look of a playoff contender. A place somewhere around the top eight without having to concern themselves with relegation issues on the last weekend of the season woudl probably be considered an improvement by most Rovers fans, and set them up for more incremental growth under a multi-Grand Final winning and former international coach who has seen and done most things in the game.