Nathan Cayless Ready For Exciting Future With The Robins
Nathan Cayless mapped out an exciting future for Hull KR as he approaches his first day as the club’s new Head Coach.
The 48 year-old arrives in East Hull next month after agreeing a three-year deal with the Robins.
In his first official interview, he discussed why the role was right for him, his vision for the club’s player pathway, how his coaching team will look for 2027 and much more.
“We land on the third (of November) and the first group of players are due in on the ninth,” Sydney-born Cayless said in a video interview while on holiday in Bali.
“I’ve spoken to every player already, including the entire First Team squad and all of the Academy players.
“All of the staff have been great as well with their time for planning our pre-season sessions, times and dates.”
He continued: “When I do arrive I can now spend as much time as possible observing and having conversations with people at the club, not just the players but also the staff members, fans and people in the community.
“They are all part of the Hull KR family, that’s really important to me.”
Click here to watch the full interview now.
Cayless was announced as the Robins’ Head Coach for 2027 back in June.
He joins with a wealth of experience coaching with different clubs in the NRL.
A World Cup winning captain with New Zealand as a player, he has also been a part of the Kiwis’ coaching setup since 2018.
Cayless opted out of rejoining the international setup again for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup to get to work at Sewell Group Craven Park at the earliest opportunity.
“That was the tough part,” he said, “but it was an easy decision, to be fair.
“My priority is Hull KR.
“The club have done a great job in setting the whole place up for success.
“It’s my duty to serve the club and the community as well as I can and I thought that wasn’t possible unless I arrived as quickly as I could.
“I’ve done my own research about the great players of the past and how the club started, a group of boilermakers starting the club back in 1882.
“I just can’t wait to get in there and start working with the boys.”
The former Parramatta Eels, Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers coach emphasised the importance of developing the player pathway in 2027 and beyond.
Following a number of senior debuts for Academy players towards the end of the 2026 season, Cayless is aiming to give more opportunities to promising youngsters in the First Team, as well as creating an aligned rugby philosophy across the club.
“There’s a lot of talent there,” he said.
“The real focus for myself is to make sure that whatever we’re doing in the First Team in regards to our terminologies for attack and defence, our drills and our training, our Scholarship will be doing that.
“As soon as they start as a Hull KR player, they’ll be training in the exact same way as the First Team so that when they transition through it’s as smooth as possible.
“We’re keen on making sure the players are ready as early as we can to play in the First Team.
“Does that mean they may have to work a little bit harder in terms of the intensity? They’ll be pushed hard because we want to see as many of our good young players come through the system as possible and there are a lot of them.”
Cayless revealed a change to the Reserves for 2027, which he sees as another positive step towards player development.
“I’m grateful that the RFL have confirmed that there will be a reserve grade competition with ten teams,” he explained.
“I believe it’s an 18-round competition with finals games and with regards to the pathway, Pete Riding and all of the staff have done a great job with the Scholarship and the Academy.
“A lot of the players got their chance against St Helens where we saw Flynn Holden score the Hull KR Try of the Season, that was a cracking try.”
Changes to Cayless’ senior coaching team were also announced as he laid out plans for pre-season and beyond.
With the departure of Ian Watson to St Helens, Cayless explained how he will operate with his assistants and wider staff from November, while he also works hands-on with the team’s defence.
“There will be myself, Luke Gale and David Hodgson,” he said.
“Those two guys have done a great job. We’ve struck up a really strong relationship over the last month just talking and we’re really clear with how the roles sit.
“The Head Coach comes in with the vision and how you’d like the team to play with and without the ball. We have a very clear philosophy of our footy and what that will look like, then it’s up to all of us as a group to own our areas.
“It’s not only the coaches but also the performance staff, welfare, everyone within the club. Everyone needs to contribute and speaking with people at the club, they are great people and I have full confidence that everyone will contribute and do a great job like they have in the past.”
On additions to his team, he said: “We will bring another coach in, a Development Coach.
“Ian Watson has done a great job, he served the club really well this year.
“What it means is that we can bring in another coach who can focus on the development of squad number 20 down to 36, helping those young players transition and play their footy like a First Team player, getting them ready as early as possible to continue to strengthen our squad and drive sustained success.”
Cayless ended his first interview as Hull KR Head Coach with a message to the supporters.
“You’ll get a team that will work hard all of the time,” he said.
“You’ll get a team that will strive to be their best every time they go into training so that they can be better every day.
“We’ll do that for three months leading into the season so that the boys are as prepared as possible to get back to the lofty heights where the club wants to be and should be.
“That will only come with the hard work.
“I can’t wait for it," he continued. "I’m really looking forward to meeting as many of the fans and sponsors and members as possible.
“We’ll make sure as a staff and as a playing group that when our community and Hull KR family are watching us, they’ll be proud.”
