What it means to Minchella | Will it be third time lucky for Hull KR in the Challenge Cup?

No pressure, just privilege for Hull KR's captain during Wembley week!

Hull KR head to Wembley this weekend as favourites to win the 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup.

It will be the Robins’ third Challenge Cup Final in the last ten years, as well as their third major final in three, which include last year's Betfred Super League Grand Final.

But will it be third time lucky?

For talismanic captain Elliot Minchella, he has insisted that there’s no pressure, just privilege – although he’s determined to make sure that his side don’t experience that losing feeling again.

“I’m feeling good this week, I’m actually really relaxed,” admitted Hull KR's fierce leader.

 

 

“We’ve experienced this before a couple of years ago. We’re in a good spot and we’ll keep building as the week goes on and enjoy it because when you retire, you’ll look back on these weeks and think ‘how good was that?!’

“You don’t let moments like this pass you by and you’ve just got to enjoy it.”

Hull KR have attracted plenty of attention with their recent journey to becoming genuine contenders and a top side in the competition.

In 2025 so far, Willie Peters’ men sit top of the Super League table with 12 wins from 13 and find themselves just 80 minutes from lifting their first Challenge Cup since 1980 and first piece of silverware since 1985.

But in order to do that, the Robins must find that extra bit of magic to win those big games.

And Minchella knows this, giving his assessment as the season nears its halfway point:

“It’s been pretty good. We’re happy but we’re not patting ourselves on the back just yet though as we've still got lots of improvement in us.

 

 

“Last week we had quite a tough week in terms of standards within training and some games probably not being as high of a standard as we wanted them to be.

“Sometimes the league table lies. I’m not saying we don’t deserve to be top, we do, but we’re not falling in love with ourselves and we're not thinking we've won anything before we have.

“We've got a good culture at the club where people hold each other accountable, and if something’s not where it needs to be, we discuss it, and it's not personal, it's professional. We all care, and we all want the same thing. Everybody wants to win and everyone wants to be successful.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s final, Minchella won't be taking any part of the experience for granted, with his desire to win clear for all to see:

“I can’t wait for Saturday, but it’s not just about me. I’m excited that we're there as a team and we just want to enjoy the occasion.

“Sometimes you get there once and you might not think you’re ever going to get there again.

“For all we know, this could be the last time I ever play there. With that said, I just want to enjoy it, take it all in and I really want to come home with a winner’s medal, not a loser’s one this time because you know it does hurt.”

As the sporting sayings goes, you sometimes have to lose a final to win one…

“We’ll find out on Saturday whether or not we’ve learnt from those experiences. Those experiences shape you and shape your career, and if you don’t learn from them, then you’re probably doing something wrong.

“From the 2023 Challenge Cup Final, there's not many of us left from that day who are still here. It’s a new group who want to write their own story, and the players that were there also have that added motivation.”

 

 

Hull KR indeed came agonisingly close in 2023 – a dramatic Lachlan Lam drop goal the only thing separating them from the Leigh Leopards. Hearts were broken that day, but it’s only made Minchella and the Robins stronger:

“It’s a very similar build-up. There’s no getting away from the fact that we're playing at the national stadium and it's in London and all this kind of thing. It is different to a normal week, but we have to embrace it because it's a real privilege.

“It's not pressure – because look at how good this is! It’s Wembley. This is not something to get nervous about. It's something just to enjoy. This is not pressure; this is a real privilege and we're really looking forward to it.”

Plenty of comments have been flying round that Saturday’s final is Hull KR’s to lose – and that if they don’t win this weekend, then they might not ever – but Minchella and his group are shutting off any outside noise and the skipper has said that this won't be affecting their preparations:

“It’s all about what we do within our four walls at training and what we've been doing since pre-season. It’s about what our DNA is, what we believe in as a group, and what we do on the field. People can write all they want, but it doesn’t affect us at all.

 

 

“We're confident in our own ability. We're not arrogant, but we just believe in the systems that our head coach Willie Peters gives us and we as players implement them. We’re in a good spot, but we're not happy until we've won something.”

Hull KR's transformation has been truly incredible, and Minchella, along with a number of other passionate individuals in the team, have openly admitted that he would never choose to be anywhere else:

“I think that's like anything in life, isn’t it. You get what you deserve and if you work hard for long enough, you tend to get your get your rewards.

“That’s something that the club stands for and I love this club. We’re all happy with where we are but we want to go to the next step."

 

 

Although their opposition, Warrington, enter the final as underdogs, Minchella won’t be underestimating Sam Burgess’ side, who were last year's beaten finalists, by any means:

“They’ve got international players, they've got the England captain George Williams, and Matt Dufty and Marc Sneyd who are, you know, unbelievable players.

“You can look through that whole team and say how good. We’re going to expect the best of them and they’re going to want to deliver on the big stage with obviously tasting defeat last year.

“Warrington will want to rewrite that and they’re going with the intent to win. They’re going to take some stopping, but obviously we want them to stop us as well.”

Thousands of the eager Red & White Army are set to fill Wembley Stadium on Saturday and their captain is forever in awe and appreciative of his club's fanbase:

“Since I've been at the club, the support has been unbelievable, but especially this year, unbelievable. I hope every Robin has a good weekend and stays safe and we hope we can send you back to East Hull with big smiles on your faces!”

“The support blows my mind. You only have to look at our semi-final this year when we ran out at York's place – how insane?”

 

 

“All four stands were full of our fans…it’s just unbelievable, and it’s time for us to do the job for them.

“They put their hands in the pockets and travel up and down motorways every week, get home late and all that, so we want to give them something to be proud of.”

Emotions will undoubtedly be at their very highest on Saturday, but can Hull KR finally get the job done?

 

Warrington will face Hull KR in the 2025 Betfred Challenge Cup Final on Saturday 7 June (K.O. 3pm) and will be shown LIVE on BBC One.

 

Expect the Unexpected in the Betfred Challenge Cup!

 

It's Finals Day at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 7 June. Be at Wembley for both the Men's and Women's Challenge Cup Finals, as well as the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final and RFL Champion Schools Year 7 Boys Final, and purchase your tickets here!