When Hull KR revealed their 2024 signing class, there was scepticism surrounding Niall Evalds’ arrival. Evalds was coming from the Castleford Tigers, where he had played in just 17 games over the course of two seasons due to a particularly tough injury season.
Evalds was undoubtedly not a headline-grabber among overseas signings like Peta Hiku and Tyrone May, whose previous clubs included Salford Red Devils. Furthermore, he had not regularly played winger since the beginning of his career, despite the fact that it was advertised that he would be signed in that capacity.
It’s possible to argue that Evalds has been Rovers’ best acquisition after a few months. The 30-year-old has made a number of outstanding plays since switching to his preferred fullback position and has been a key member of a Hull KR squad that has scored more tries than any other team in the league.
The significance of Evalds is supported by the data. With 20 tries in twelve appearances, he leads the Super League in assists and shares the lead in overall try contributions. Up until now, only one other player has been able to set the pace with him: fullback Jack Welsby of England.
At Craven Park, Evalds has revitalised his career, and the Robins are currently reaping the benefits of that as well. Although his run threat has often overshadowed his passing ability, his pace and support play have made sure Rovers have converted breaks into points.
When Peters thought back on the choice to sign him, “I looked back to when he was on fire at Salford and what he did there,” he said. “I firmly believe that a player doesn’t become a bad player overnight. Niall’s injuries during his time at Cas prevented him from playing, and people tend to forget about him easily.
“After seeing his past performance in the game and realising he might be available, I felt this could be a really good pick-up. We knew that Pet would be the first to start at fullback when he arrived. It was great that Niall’s management expressed satisfaction with his actions, as he was aware of this and wanted to support himself.
He hasn’t surprised us at all because he considered himself a fullback, as I did as well. We threw some challenges at Niall over the weekend, and he answered, which is why I still believe he has more to give.
“He’s a quiet guy off the pitch, so we want to get him more local, but when Niall is around and touching the ball, our attack is strong; there’s no secret about that.”
The most positive thing for Rovers has been that Evalds has not suffered any injuries, and worries about his past have been progressively dissipating. Rather, Rovers have a fullback who won the Lance Todd Award who is playing well right now, and long may that continue from a Rovers perspective.
