Women’s Super League 2021 preview

James Gordon

The Betfred Women’s Super League gets underway this weekend, with 10 teams fighting for the title, last won by Leeds in 2019.

Games will be played across two venues – Weetwood Sports Ground in Leeds and Victoria Park in Warrington – to help minimise the cost and restrictions of coronavirus regulations.

The first weekend of fixtures is: Wigan v Warrington, Castleford v Featherstone, Bradford v St Helens, Leeds v York

MORE: Full Women’s Super League fixture list

Warrington’s debut match in the women’s Super League will be broadcast live via Twitch.

There is no opening weekend action for Huddersfield or Wakefield, who will be in action the following weekend in the Challenge Cup – the Giants taking on Warrington and Trinity facing York.

After 10 rounds of league fixtures, the top four teams will split off into a six-round play-off structure, playing each other home and away.

The top two teams will then compete in the Grand Final.

The six teams that don’t make the play-offs will play each other once in the Shield competition, with the top four after the round-robin phase meeting in two semi-finals with the winners playing in the Shield Final.

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Here are all the squads:

Bradford Bulls

Head coach: Mark Seal
Captain: Grace Ramsden / Stacey Greenwood

Squad: Gabriella Adams-Gavet, Bailey Alexander, Savannah Andrade, Danielle Bose, Hannah Donald, Sarah Dunn, Alice Fisher, Hermani Grace, Stacey Greenwood, Ebony Haley, Kacy Haley, Jess Harrap, Angel Howey, Evie Kilburn, Bethany MacMillan, Daisy Mankee, Linda McLean, Zoe Patchett, Abigail Pinder, Tiegan Ramsden, Grace Ramsden, Mya Taylor, Millie Taylor, Adara Telemacque, Elise Townsend, Chloe Wainwright-Morley, Olivia Wood

Last season (2019): 6th

Castleford Tigers

Head coach: Vacant (Marie Colley and Kirsty Moroney in temporary charge)

Squad: Amie Backhouse, Emma Lumley, Esme Reynolds, Eva Izumi, Georgia Roche, Georgie Hetherington, Grace Field, Hollie Dodd, Jasmie Bell, Jasmine Cudjoe, Kaitlin Varley, Kelsey Gentles, Kirsty Higo, Lacey Owen, Leah Jones, Libby Priestley, Lucy Eastwood, Millie Walsh, Rhiannion Marshall, Sam Jordan, Sammy Watts, Sinead Peach, Sophie Todd, Tamzin Renouf, Tara Stanley.

Last season (2019): 1st (Grand Final runners-up)

Featherstone Rovers

Head coach: Becky Higgins / Jonny Payne

Squad: 1 Georgia Cutt, 2 Chloe Reynolds, 3 Brogan Kennedy, 4 Jessica Courtman, 5 Kayleigh Bulman, 6 Katherine Hepworth, 7 Chelsea Senior, 8 Zoe Teece, 10 Brogan Churm, 11 Jessica Hammond, 13 Andrea Dobson, 15 Stephanie Grenham, 16 Jasmine Hazel, 17 Jasmine Rowley, 18 Chloe Billingham, 19 Helen Tesdale, 20 Grace Dyke, 21 Jessie Matthews, 22 Cairo Newby, 23 Shanelle Mannion, 24 Pagie Stevens, 25 Hannah Watt

Last season (2019): 4th

Huddersfield Giants

Captain: Bethan Oates

Squad: Gemma Bell, Amelia Brown, Sophie Brunskill, Olivia Cummins, Pippa Curley, Rachel Eastwood, Charlotte Hawkins, Lilliebelle Hunter, Summa Hunter, Caitlin Johnson, Oyin Kadiri, Annie Loney, Emmi Manning, Emily Mawdsley, Sienna McPherson, Andrea Mena, Izzy Northrop, Bethan Oates, Megan Price, Jamie-Leigh Scott, Chloe Smith, Danni Stott, Erin Stott, Bella Sykes, Ellie Taylor, Frankie Townend, Reagan Walker, Elychia Watson, Emma WIlkinson.

Last season (2019): 4th in Championship

Leeds Rhinos

Head coach: Lois Forsell
Captain: Courtney Winfield-Hill

Squad: 1 Caitlin Beevers, 2 Tara Moxon, 3 Sophie Robinson, 4 Chloe Kerrigan, 5 Fran Goldthorp, 6 Hanna Butcher, 7 Courtney Winfield-Hill, 8 Amy Johnson, 9 Keara Bennett, 10 Dannielle Anderson, 11 Aimee Staveley, 12 Elle Frain, 13 Sophie Nuttall, 14 Shannon Lacey, 15 Danika Priim, 16 Ellie Oldroyd, 17 Tasha Gaines, 18 Sam Hulme, 19 Ellena Powell, 20 Lucy Murray, 21 Ella Johnson, 22 Paige Webster, 23 Orla McCallion, 24 Adaoha Akwiwu, 25 Zoe Hornby

Last season (2019): 3rd (Champions)

St Helens

Head Coach: Derek Hardman
Captain: Emily Rudge

Squad: Alice Sandam, Amy Hardcastle, Beth Stott, Carrie Roberts, Chantelle Crowl, Danielle Bush, Darcy Stott, Dawn Akrigg, Eboni Partington, Emily Rudge, Faye Gaskin, Hannah Goodburn, Isabelle Rudge, Jenny Welsby, Jodie Cunningham, Katie Mottershead, Leah Burke, Lizzy Duffy, Naomi Williams, Paige Travis, Philippa Birchall, Rachael Woosey, Rebecca Rotheram, Sarah Lovejoy, Tara Jones, Vicky Whitfield.

Last season (2019): 2nd (play-off semi-finals)

Wakefield Trinity

Coaches: Paul Broadbent / Liam Harnell
Captain: Dani Swaine

Squad: 1 Sarah Ashton, 2 Liv Whitehead, 3 Emma Templeton, 4 Emma Kershaw, 5 Dani Green, 6 Abby Price, 7 Becky Grady, 8 Stacey Wilson, 9 Beth Lindsay, 10 Dani Swaine, 11 Rebecca Brierley, 12 Claire Reynard, 13 Lisa Taylor, 14 Saskia Lewis, 15 Maddie Hirst, 16 Hailey Swann, 17 Aallisha Rhodes, 18 Ellen Strafford, 19 Annie-May Shackleton, 20 Toni Thompkins, 21 Ellie Brown, 22 Mel Lowry, 23 Rebecca Anderson, 24 Brooke Price, 25 Alisha Nix, 26 Daney Jarrett, 27 Stephanie Spence-Hirst, 28 Mia Winks, 29 Leanne Candler

Last season (2019): 8th

Warrington Wolves

Head coach: Lee Westwood

Squad: 1 Samantha Simpson, 2 Abigail Johnston, 3 Abby Latchford, 4 Amy Daniels, 5 Michelle Davis, 6 Meg Jackson, 7 Meg Garvey, 8 Keria McCosh, 9 Danielle Bound, 10 Claire Mullaney, 11 Chloe Richardson, 12 Rebekah Wilson, 13 Sarah Faulkner, 14 Armani Sharrock, 15 Alice Evans, 16 Cat Davies, 17 Beth Cox, 18 Sarina Tamou, 19 Steph Gray, 20 Ellis Jelves, 21 Georgia Sutherland, 22 Charlotte Melvin, 23 Amy Bennett, 24 Meg Moore, 25 Meg Calland, 26 Maddie Price, 27 Emily Tandy, 28 Catrin Williams, 29 Eleanor Bradbury, 30 Hattie Dogus, 31 Isabelle Hughes, 32 Ava Vizard, 33 Shakira Westwood, 34 Bryony Coombs

Last season (2019): 1st in Championship

Wigan Warriors

Coach: Kris Ratcliffe
Captain: Rachel Thompson

Squad: Emily Baggaley, Lucy Baggaley, Megan Bragg, Alison Burrows, Paige Costello, Eleanor Dainty, Leah Darbyshire, Anna Davies, Emma Dwyer, Olivia Frain, Lauren Gilham, Megan Grace-Holding, Rebecca Greenfield, Jade Gregory-Haselden, Bethany Hayes, Carys Marsh, Danielle Molyneux, Victoria Molyneux, Clare Radford, Holly Speakman, Rachel Thompson, Katie Stephens, Emily Stirzaker, Georgia Wilson, Vanessa Temple.

Last season (2019): 4th (play-off semi-finals)

York City Knights

Coaches: Daryl North / Kay Rollinson
Captain: Katie Langan

Squad: 1 Ellie Hendry, 2 Georgia Taylor, 3 Bettie Lambert, 4 Ash Hyde, 5 Rebecca Waterworth, 6 Mary Tiplady, 7 Katie Langan, 8 Christina Williams, 9 Elsbeth Innes, 10 Abbie Hallas, 11 Anneka Aspland, 12 Emily Farrow, 13 Alisha Clayton, 14 Olivia Howarth, 15 Deanna Limbert, 16 Daisy Sanderson, 17 Sophie Wilson, 18 Alex Stimpson, 19 Mel Halstead, 20 Georgia Naylor, 21 Nat Carr, Courtney Osler, Mollie Dunnington, Alice Fozzard, Lauren Hunter, Kate Thompson, Victoria Parkes

Last season (2019): 7th