Mikey Lewis arrived at Old Trafford ahead of the Super League Grand Final on Saturday evening with a point to prove: and prove it he did as Hull KR clinched their first title in 40 years.
Playmaker Lewis has been questioned for as long as he has been a star of the game around whether he can perform on the big stage.
Ending the 2023 Challenge Cup final in tears after defeat to Leigh Leopards, further lessons were taken from a hammering in the same competition’s semi-finals to Wigan Warriors last year: and then a gut-wrenching defeat to the same side in the Grand Final.
But 2025 was different. KR got the job done in June’s Challenge Cup final against Warrington Wolves courtesy of a late try, then went on to lift the Super League Leaders’ Shield.
And on Saturday evening in Manchester, they ensured a historic treble would be complete: beating Wigan 24-6 at the Theatre of Dreams as Lewis himself delivered a man-of-the-match performance.
Mikey Lewis basks in glory of redemption following Hull KR’s maiden Super League title
Having contributed big moments at both ends of the field after preventing a Bevan French try early on and then grabbing the opener himself later in the first half, the 24-year-old received the Rob Burrow Award.
Speaking post-match, he opened up on how desperate he was for KR – who were still unfavoured by the bookmakers pre-match – to grasp the opportunity that lay in front of them.
He explained: “We fell short last year against Wigan, and we came back for redemption and got the job done.
“We were written off, but we blocked the outside noise and knew that we just had to turn up and play for the full 80 minutes.
“We knew that if it was a Hull KR performance, we wouldn’t go too far wrong and I felt we did that after 20 minutes settling in.
“Wigan have got fantastic players in their squad who ice the big moments in games and we spoke about that as a spine, and we wanted to win more big moments and I felt that we did that to lift the trophy.
“I know that I didn’t play as well as I could last year; I was nowhere near.
“I thought this was redemption and a second chance to show the world, and prove to myself that I can do it.”
‘I want to keep doing it and keep doing it, because that’s what the greats do’
Like any good sportsman, now Lewis has had the taste of glory, he wants more. The half-back will arrive in camp with Shaun Wane’s England squad on Wednesday as they aim to down world champions Australia in a three-Test Ashes Series this autumn.
Once that’s over, he’ll have a few weeks to rest and recuperate before Super League champions Rovers go again under Willie Peters.
Bidding to retain as many of their three major honours as possible, they may even be able to add another to their haul early on next season when they take on new NRL kings Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Challenge.
Lewis added: “It’s one game.
“I want to keep doing it and keep doing it, because that’s what the greats do.
“I’ve proved to myself that I can do it and I want to keep doing that.
“One game doesn’t make me a great player… it’s a step closer, but I want to keep proving myself and hopefully I’ve still got a lot of years left.
“I can then look back and say I was a really good player.”
