Leeds win Women’s Super League Grand Final
Leeds came from behind to beat Castleford 20-12 to win the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final and achieve the domestic double.
The Tigers were the first to make the scoresheet within a minute of the game after a knock on in the first carry.
Maisie Lumb dived over in the corner after a right-edge play, which saw the ball shipped out to the winger, who opened the scoring. Tara Stanley failed to convert.
Off the back of another error, the Tigers went over once more with Lacey Owen after she took a wide ball and forced her way past numerous tacklers to go over and increase the Tigers’ advantage.
Going two scores down forced the Rhinos to retaliate and the Challenge Cup holders replied with Abby Eatock, who scored the winner in last week’s semi-final against St. Helens.
She broke through the line off the back of a good pass from Courtney Butcher and evaded the fullback Stanley to score in the corner.
Courtney Hill’s conversion attempt swung wide of the posts. Meaning the Tigers entered the interval with a four-point lead.
Castleford started off the better of the two sides after the break however it was Leeds who made their mark first.
The Telegraph Woman of Steel Hill broke through the line and offloaded to Fran Goldthorpe who got past numerous defenders to level the score.
Momentum went the way of the Rhinos as they took the lead for the first time in the match as Goldthorp scored her brace.
The winger jumped out from dummy-half and evaded numerous tacklers before beating Stanley to the line to go over the whitewash. Hill gave Leeds a 6-point cushion with the conversion.
Leeds then scored back-to-back tries after Hill assisted Ellie Frain putting her through a gap in Castleford’s defence to score.
Kelsey Gentles then scored a try in the corner for Castleford but it was only in consolation as the Rhinos broke the Tigers hearts – lifting the Women’s Super League Grand Final trophy.
RHINOS: Beevers, Nuttall, Eatock, Kerrigan, Goldthorpe, Butcher, Hill, Anderson, Gaines, Johnson, Staveley, Booth, Webster. SUBS: Bennett, Frain, Primm, Oldroyd.
TIGERS: Stanley, Lumb, Eastwood, Owen, Gentles, Roche, Cudjoe, Field, Peach, Hoyle, Dodd, Renouf, Marshall. SUBS: Watts, Lumley, Townend, Slowe.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Fran Goldthorp