Hull KR’s Lakin blasts League Leaders’ Shield ‘title’ claim critics

Hull KR chief executive Paul Lakin hit back at those who criticised Hull KR's decision to put their League Leaders' Shield triumph on a par with their five previous championship titles; the Robins claimed the shield for the first time after finishing top of the 2025 Betfred Super League table; Hull KR will secure a return to the grand final if they beat either Leeds Rhinos or St Helens in the play-off semi-finals

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Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 18/09/2025 - Rugby League - Betfred Super League Round 27 - Hull KR v Warrington Wolves - Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull, England - Hull KR's Elliot Minchella & Mikey Lewis with the Betfred Super League leaders trophy.

PAUL Lakin defended Hull KR’s decision to put their League Leaders’ Shield triumph on a par with their previous five championship triumphs.

The Robins finished top of the Betfred Super League for the first time this year to secure the shield, marking their first time coming top of the ladder since the back-to-back titles of 1984 and 1985 in the old Slalom Lager Championship.

Chief executive Lakin insisted finishing top of the table after 27 rounds of regular-season action should be treated with the same reverence as those previous league titles, and fired back at those who have derided the club’s viewpoint.

“Why not?” Lakin told BBC Radio Humberside. “If it creates debate then fine, but I don’t really buy into that.

“People debate things in the media all the time, we think being top in the league season is a title, that’s why we wanted to call it that.

“Ultimately, we all know the big one is the grand final and we’re well-aware of that, so we’re not saying anything other than that.

“But we wanted to recognise it as that and I’m really not interested in what anyone else thinks.”

British rugby league has alternated between using play-offs and the more traditional UK sporting model of crowning the team which finishes top of the table as champions throughout its 130-year history.

Indeed, Hull KR’s title triumphs of 1923 and 1925 were both decided in a four-team Championship play-off after finishing second and fourth in the table respectively those seasons, while their 1979, 1984 and 1985 successes came by topping the league standings.

Lakin accepts the winner of grand final, which Hull KR will return to for the second year in a row if they can overcome either Leeds Rhinos or St Helens in the play-off semi-finals, is the only team which will be considered Super League champions for 2025

But the former Stoke City executive believes more prominence should be given to the achievement of claiming the League Leaders’ Shield, particularly given the attitude of some of the wider British sporting public towards play-offs to decided titles.

“What I would say is for the game, we can become quite insular,” Lakin said.

“If you talk to somebody outside of the game and you’ve won the league but it’s not the big one, I think it’s difficult for people outside of the sport to understand that.

“I’m all for the grand final and the money it generates, but it is a difficult one to get people engaged in the sport.

“My background is football…and when you explain that to people who aren’t rugby league fans, it’s hard for them to grasp that.”