Date: 29/7/14
Hull KR caretaker head coach Chris Chester has made it clear there will be no second chance for any other player stepping out of line after Greg Eden was dropped from the defeat to Salford for disciplinary reasons. The full back was the latest Hull KR player to have fallen foul of the club’s management for off-field incidents, coming on the back of a number of the squad’s stars to have found himself in hot water already this season.
Adam Walker, Jonny Walker and Wayne Ulugia have also all been disciplined for off-field reasons this season and Chester has made it clear there won’t be any more off-field incidents tolerated this year. Egan’s absence from the team that took on Salford was clearly felt, and the caretaker head coach has insisted the full back has to take his share of the blame for the 38-18 defeat to the Red Devils.
“Greg returns this weekend. He has served his punishment. I spoke to him at length on Monday, and told him in no uncertain terms that he had a big part to play in the Salford defeat,” said the caretaker head coach about Egan’s axing from the squad for the Salford game.
“He let everybody down at the club and he has to earn the respect back from the boys. That was a final warning for him and the others. The chairman has made his disappointment clear and it won’t be tolerated. The next one that steps out of line it will be curtains for them.”
With time running out this season, Hull KR are one of a number of teams looking to sneak into the play-offs this year, making their upcoming clash against the London Broncos a must-win for the club. With Widnes occupying the final play-off place and ahead of their rivals in the rugby odds, Hull KR will be well aware that they can’t afford any more slip-ups between now and the end of the regular season if they are going to have a chance of making the play-offs. With so much on the line, there’s no surprise Chester has felt let down by his squad a number of times this season and it remains to be seen whether the off-field issues end up costing the club a place in the play-offs.
The Robins had boosted their play-off hopes with the signing of Jason Chan for the remainder of the season, with the lock arriving from Huddersfield Giants on an initial loan deal. The 30-year old, who joins his Papua New Guinea team-mate Neville Costigan at Hull KR, made his debut in the defeat to Salford but showed the sort of work-ethic that makes him such a useful player to have in the Super League. With the possibility of a longer stay at the club come the end of the season, Chan has plenty of motivation to try and use this time in Hull as a chance to prove he deserves a longer deal at the club
