Every once in a while, a disrupter comes along and changes the status quo. They defy the big boys- no, they become one of the big boys. Welcome to the ‘Super League Giant Club’, Hull KR.
Not many sports can say that four teams have dominated the competition in the way Super League has been dominated. Add into that the fact that one of the four in Bradford Bulls has not been in the top flight for 11 years.
Twenty-seven Grand Finals had gone by with those four names taking turns on the trophy. Leeds had their period of sustained success, so too St Helens. There had not been a new name on the trophy in 21 years.
The list went: Wigan Warriors, St Helens, St Helens, Bradford Bulls, St Helens, Bradford, Leeds Rhinos, Bradford, St Helens, Leeds, Leeds, Leeds, Wigan, Leeds, Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Leeds, Wigan, Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, St Helens, St Helens, St Helens, Wigan, Wigan.
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Hull KR celebrations inspire sing-a-long after they claimed their first Super League title against Wigan Warriors.
Then, in the 28th Super League Grand Final, something happened. There was a shift, there was a change, and the competition will never be the same for it.
Hull KR became the fifth name on that list.
Ruining Wigan’s quest for the ‘three-peat’ of winning a third Grand Final in a row, Hull KR made their own history of a treble.
They had won the League Leaders’ Shield and the Challenge Cup. They finished first. And yet, Wigan went into the contest as favourites.
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Mikey Lewis opens the scoring for Hull KR in the Super League Grand Final against Wigan Warriors.
Experience pays, everyone said. Well, Hull KR ripped up that script and then some in a 24-6 victory that changed the course of their club’s history.
Wigan were the heavyweight and Hull KR were the challenger to their belt. They took it in some style.
What is always intriguing about a rematch? There is always one trying to assert their continued dominance and another that has a massive point to prove.
The Robins proved their point.
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Mikey Lewis can’t hold back the tears after Hull Kr’s victory over Wigan Warriors in the Super League Grand Final.
With their treble they join the upper echelons of Super League. Bradford Bulls did it in 2003. St Helens did it in 2006. Leeds Rhinos did it in 2015. Wigan Warriors did it in 2024. Now, Hull KR have done it in 2025.
The question of whether they can do it on the biggest stages is gone. They defeated a giant and subsequently became a giant in the process.
This is a club that has experienced the most agonising of heartbreaks. Defeated by a Salford drop-goal in 2016 and relegated to the Championship, the Robins have rebuilt, come back stronger, and made themselves a name to remember.
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Wigan Warriors and Hull KR players clash at the closing stages of the Super League Grand Final.
“There’s been a lot of lows. But three times this year after nothing for 40 years,” said their owner Neil Hudgell.
“To make proper history and be a new name on the trophy, it’s testament to Willie [Peters] and the group.
“I’m not a great tipster, I always get it wrong, but I felt it was our time to get it.
“I’m really delighted and proud. For Mikey Lewis, [Elliot] Minchella. Those boys take some stick, but answered it.”
So many clubs have tried before them and failed. Hull FC have tried. Warrington Wolves have tried. Castleford Tigers have tried. Salford Red Devils have tried. Catalans Dragons have tried. They all fell at the final hurdle.
Now the question for Hull KR is not if they are one of the big boys, it is now about just how big they want to be.
They got to say ‘and the new’. Now, it is about being a team that can stay ‘and still’.