Leeds Rhinos 'going there to win' despite underdog status in Women's Super League Grand Final v York Valkyrie

Rhinos will face hosts York Valkyrie on Sunday in front of what is expected to be a record crowd for a Betfred Women’s Super League title decider, with more than 4,000 tickets already sold.

Leeds, the reigning champions, are Grand Final ever-presents since their debut season in 2018 and were Challenge Cup runners-up two months ago, as well as finishing third in the league.

That is despite captain Courtney Winfield-Hill’s retirement last autumn, the departure of star players Fran Goldthorp, Georgia Roche and Georgia Hale to the NRL Women’s competition in Australia and a series of long-term injuries.

When Leeds lost to York and St Helens in their opening two home league games, it seemed those rivals would dominate this year.

Rhinos finished six points behind York and one adrift of St Helens, who beat them at Wembley, but avenged that defeat with a golden-point play-off semi-final win at TW Stadium and Forsell insisted: “It is good to be in the Grand Final, but we’re going there to win it.”

Rhinos are known as a big-game team and Forsell said: “It is our trophy to retain. People speak about the players we’ve lost, but all that does is provide an opportunity for someone else.”

She stressed: “You look at our squad and there’s so many players who have taken that opportunity with both hands.

“They have been doing brilliantly, they have progressed and developed and become really good competitors. We are really proud of that.

"We can’t look at what could have happened, we just focus on what we can do. We’ve done that this year and the girls have been great.

“We are going there to win, not just to be there. We’ve got the potential and the belief that’s what we can and should be doing.”

York’s only defeat this year was by a point to Saints in a Challenge Cup semi-final. They won all their league games other than a 12-12 draw with Rhinos at LNER Community Stadium in July.

Valkyrie - who Rhinos defeated in last year’s Grand Final - will be favourites this weekend, but Leeds are unbeaten in four games since Wembley, including two victories at Saints.

“It is going to be a great final,” Forsell predicted. “York are a great team, we are a great team and I think we’ve got some good momentum with us which will definitely be a positive after some of the disruption we’ve had this year.

“It’s what finals are all about, you should never get to a final and think you’re playing against mediocre opposition.

“It is two great teams going head to head and wanting to win the trophy, so we are looking forward to it.”

Leeds Rhinos: from Robinson, Beevers, Butcher, Nuttall, Hulme, Hornby, Bennett, Hardcastle, Dainton, Cudjoe, Lockwood, Gaines, Northrop, Frain, Moxon, Glynn, Greening, Casey, Murray, Enright, Sykes.

Referee: Liam Rush (Dewsbury/Batley). Kick-off: Sunday, 3pm.