RBKnight

This might be the result of a fever dream, but I thought there was due to be a play-off match between the winners of the Championship and Southern League, for the right to play the bottom Super League team, in the Women's RL equivalent to the Million Pound Game.......

Comedy performance award has to go to Brett Ferres - part of me would have been happy to see him binned (on several occasions) but the all-round chuckle value of such a poor show won out. Bookings now available for a comic villain for this winter's pantomimes....

Pembo was at the game yesterday with an orthopaedic boot on, so he's out of contention anyway. Real blow if Ata Hingano is out for any length of time, as he's playing so well at the moment. I saw him go down, but when he waved off an HIA and continued playing I didn't think anything more about it......

Routine win for York over Fev 62-0 on Sunday (I missed this match). Four teenagers in the Valkyrie team - 17yo's Izzy Brennan and Evie Sexton, Jess Sharp and new French recruit Mahault Pommier. Tane Jane Stanley converted nine from eleven efforts off the tee.

Finished York 27 Doncaster 0 at the LNER. Doncaster very blunt, with York's defence on top and the team now playing with wi th some confidence.

Looks like the Newcastle to Leeds commute for training and playing has just got too much :- Leeds Rhinos' Zoe Hornby stepping back from Rugby League playing career after 'heavy heart' decision | Rugby League News | Sky Sports

Martyn, I have never believed the theory that the RFL was featherbedding the Bulls by taking the lease (I think it's turned out to be to the detriment of both parties) - but are you saying that the lease purchase had nothing to do with the need for the RFL to have an asset against the unsecured debt of the Bulls ?

Rugby League's answer to Jurassic Park perhaps, with machines to make fog, and huge speakers broadcasting "Forward" and "Gerremonside" at appropriate intervals ? #bringbacktheshale

Aaron's article does contain some details from digging - including £490K write-down in RFL accounts from the sale

Surely Craig David - and his kestrel - are from Yorkshire (Morley, to be precise) ?

Courtesy of Richard & Jason's site :- From Ontario to York, via Vegas and Australia… (womensrl.com)

Evie had what looked like a great try down the left flank chalked off in the first half (to the bemusement of the crowd) apparently for an "incorrect grounding". With Tamsin Renouf in danger of missing the rest of the season after elbow surgery, and Manuqalo Komaitai still on deployment with the Army, Evie has the chance to make that Left Centre spot her own for the rest of the season.

The gap between the Keighley owners' perception of where their club is, and the rest of the RL world's opinion (including probably most Cougar fans) is yawning. Not content with sabotaging last season's promising Championship campaign with a coach sacking, leading to relegation, they are now sacking a coach in League 1 who has them top of the table, in a season that was supposed to be all about Oldham....... Bizarre !

I think that the dual-reg agreement between the Eagles and York Valkyrie has worked well. There is case to be made for a "feeder club" arrangement in the women's game, giving young prospects from U19s WSL squads a chance to shine in the Championship, whilst offering access to levels of coaching and training to the junior club that would normally be out of reach.

News of another future Valkyrie star Izzy Brennan - ripping it up as a 17 year old in the Championship on Dual Reg at Sheffield Eagles. She scored five tries as the Eagles put 58 points on Hull KR. Propping with her was T'Leesha Frederick-Maynard of Valkyrie U19s (who also scored a try)

Just a short report - routine York win 44-0, with the spirit and basic shape kept by Barrow stopping it being a massacre. Despite the Barrow pack being as adhesive as they could be round the ruck, they were mullered by Liv Wood, Savannah Andrade and Megan Pakulis making yards for fun (often after contact) and always finding their fronts. Some nice ball movement wide to the wings for four of the scores. I didn't realise until I looked at the highlights below how good a game Tara Jane Stanley had on her return after injury and illness. Two superb try-assist passes and some good goal kicking too. From York's point of view, the game was probably most notable for the WSL debut of Evie Sexton, having just turned 17. Looked utterly assured playing at Left Centre - definitely a name to look out for in the future.

Thought the article was spot on.

Great to see us spreading the ball so confidently today, and I thought both our makeshift Centres Field and Williams had good games.

Barrow looked very poor today, conceding 54 points at York. The Knights shredded a very weak Barrow edge defence whenever they spread the ball in good field position. Knights' Half-Back Ata Hingano is in a rich vein of form (and fitness) at the moment.

Thought that the potential game breakers for Leeds were generally very well policed by the Saints' defence. Can't get away from the feeling that Leeds were pretty blunt ball in hand though. It's expecting for too much of Caitlin Casey to be the sole creative player in that Leeds spine. By comparison, Jodie Cunningham played as an extra half when Saints were attacking, and they also had Mottershead off the bench (whose running game really seemed to disrupt Leeds)

Bump

Evie Sexton is in the senior Valkyrie squad to play Barrow on Sunday https://www.facebook.com/YorkRLFCValkyrie/videos/790003792930955

Interesting development being reported on by AAP down under :- NRL’s Las Vegas venture to expand with Australia and England women’s Test | Women's rugby league | The Guardian