LEON PRYCE hailed the heart of his York Valkyrie to keep out Wigan Warriors and seal a remarkable league title.
In what pundits described as the greatest Women’s Super League Grand Final yet, York withstood a fierce Wigan onslaught to maintain an 8-6 advantage for the entire second half.
It completed a remarkable season turnaround after York looked likely to miss out on the play-offs altogether until a late surge.
“I can’t believe what we just did,” said Pryce, who won a first trophy as a coach in his first season leading Valkyrie.
“We had no ball in the second half – it was defend, defend, defend. But we practice goalline defence all the time.
“That was pure hard work and determination. You can’t measure heart on a stat sheet and these girls have got it in abundance.
“It’s the underdogs’ title. Wigan have played some amazing rugby, but we’ve got some tough girls there who know how to win big games.
“In the last few weeks we’ve really built momentum. We lost Tara Jane Stanley (the semi-final star ruled out with a head injury) but we keep on overcoming adversity.
“The odds were against us, but we dig deep for each other. This is a team that doesn’t give in.”