They say that every star player comes up with a clutch moment that changes everything, no matter how well they work in the game. Mikey Lewis was once again the main man when he sent through a conversion that won the Hal KR Challenge Cup.
Until the 77th minute, the Challenge Cup final was not a performance by Vintage Lewis.
He had moments of greatness, like a goal line dropout that Arron Lindop couldn’t deal with, but it was balanced with his own try line knock-on.
Until 77 minutes he was experiencing an afternoon roller coaster.
Tom Davis then got the fingertips of the ball and tried it out, making the game 6-6. And it fell to Lewis to send a tricky conversion to put his side first for the first time since the first half.
He did just that, with 40 years of trophyless agony running away, and Robbins finally adding elusive silverware to the cabinet that had been empty since 1985.
Outside the Challenge Cup, it is important to remember that Steel’s incumbent, who Arthur Morg takes on the role following his move from the Catalonia Dragons, has not scored a goal kick on the club.
Surprisingly, he hasn’t practiced his kicks, but just trusting it will start in the moment.
“I practiced a lot last year, last year, and I feel that wasn’t the best for me. I was thinking too much,” Lewis said.
Mikey Lewis and Elliot Minchela celebrate
“When I had to kick, when Rhyse (Martin) got injured, I told him, ‘I’m not going to practice.’ He couldn’t believe it at first.
“In the Challenge Cup semi-finals, I kicked really well and I trusted it.”
And will it fall as the biggest kick of his life?
“Yeah, 100%. I’ve lived together for a long time.”
Hal KR has returned his name to the Challenge Cup Trophy for the first time since 1980
Now, Lewis is focused on continuing to build his legacy with the club. The club pulled the No. 6 jersey out of retirement and picked up as many trophies as possible along the way.
“That means a lot. We have taken over the legacy that has been with us for a long time. Not just the 17-person broke today, but it’s the entire team, the staff, everyone on the board.
“I just want to win everything at this point. It’s hard to say, but it’s easy to say. It’s a bit cliched, but I want that.”
What’s next?
The 14th week of the Super League season begins on Friday, June 13th, with Hull KR hosting Calatans Dragons at Sky Sports Action (8pm) and Hull FC faces Castleford Tigers at Sky Sports+ (8pm).
Sky Sports will re-introduce all the games from Super League Live this season – only two matches in each round are live, with the remaining four matches being shown weekly via the red button on Sky Sports+
