Kelsey Gentles has enjoyed plenty of success at York Valkyrie but now has her sights set on a different challenge with Huddersfield Giants as they aim to break into the top four next season.

“IT’S time to get tough.” That’s the message coming out of Huddersfield Giants and their newest signing, Kelsey Gentles, ahead of 2026.

This season has only just ended for the West Yorkshire side, but the signing of former England international Gentles has shown their intent at having a real stab at breaking the monopoly of Super League’s top four.

For Gentles, the best way of doing that is for everyone at the club to step up and aim for the highest possible standards, which is something the former York Valkyrie forward believes she can help with.

After winning the League Leaders’ Shield with Castleford in 2019, Gentles was one of many Tigers players to switch to York, then still called the Knights, in the early stages of the 2021 season. Over the next few years, York’s performances drastically improved, and the team went on to claim numerous titles: the League Leaders’ Shield in 2022, a Shield and Grand Final double the following year, and last October, became the first club in Super League history to defend their title with another Grand Final win.

And while she knows it might take some time, Gentles is confident that Huddersfield are starting out on the same path that York have treaded over the last four years.

“I do have ambitions and I’ve told people what they are,” Gentles told Rugby League World.

“I don’t want to come to a team and be around people that aren’t taking it as seriously as I do because I’d find that quite disappointing. But it’s not like that at Huddersfield. 

“I’ve come in and I can see the girls are really working hard. There are fantastic players here who may need a little bit of finesse to reach the next level, and hopefully, me bringing in some experience will help with that. 

“We have said that it’s time to get tough and maybe in previous years there’s been a lack of understanding within the girls about what they need to do to challenge these top sides and the top players that are playing in the top four teams, but I think the penny has dropped now.

“I saw how they played against York in June, and it was a really close game – York only just beat them in the last minute. For the Huddersfield girls, that felt as good as the victory because they took the current champions all the way to the wire, and I think that gave them some real confidence.

“One of the big reasons I wanted to come and be part of this squad is because there is great potential here and we do have top four ambitions for next year, which we have already been thinking about.

“We need to make sure we get a really good pre-season in and make sure any weaknesses are worked on in the off-season so that they won’t be a problem next year, because when we start those games, I want us to be smashing it.

“At York, we had a bit more of an ageing squad, whereas at Huddersfield, a lot of the players are quite young and eager to learn. They have that hunger to be the best and the hunger to be in the top four. 

“Huddersfield are probably going through a similar transition now to the one York went through a few years ago. I’ve been there, I got through it, and had some success with it. I am coming in with quite a bit of experience of playing at the top, and I feel that now is the time for me to make my mark.

“I know that maybe I am a little bit intense at first, but that’s because I only want to be playing with people that are one hundred percent buying into it and are genuinely serious about the game, and the girls here are so it’s all looking good for a positive future.”

Another aspect Gentles believes goes in Huddersfield’s favour is the work being done with the under-19s Academy squad – several members of which were handed first-team debuts towards the back end of the season.

Wigan Warriors have more than proved this year that if players are good enough, they are old enough, winning the Challenge Cup and the League Leaders’ Shield with a group of players in their squad who have made the step up from Academy level together.

With the Giants also now producing players of their own, Gentles, a former England International, is confident that the stars of the future are waiting in the wings and just need to continue to be nurtured in the right way.

And as one of the more experienced heads in the Giants’ line-up next season, Gentles is hoping she can play a part in their development.

“If we can get things right with the under-19s, then that’s a big benefit for the club,” added Gentles who made a try-scoring debut for her new club in the final game of the season against Barrow Raiders.

“Those girls have been the best academy team in the competition this year, and when I have seen them train they have been fantastic. 

“You can see their potential, and they are the players that are going to be lighting up Super League in a few years’ time. But we also need to make sure the first team has the right foundations and training programmes in place, so that when we start bringing those young players through, they go into an environment where they can really thrive and shine.

“We have got some really great players in the under-19 squad that will be ready for Super League very soon, and I just want to give them a bit of my wisdom. 

“I’m probably not one of the young ones anymore, so I am definitely ready for a step up in terms of leadership and taking a role leading some of the younger girls around.

“Bethan (Oates) is a fantastic captain, and Sam (Hulme) is a great vice captain, and with me coming from York, hopefully I can add a bit of a different dynamic. York have a very unique way of playing, and it’s proven to be successful, so I want to bring some of those successful tactics and tendencies to Huddersfield so we can push on.”

Gentles’ arrival at the newly-named ACCU Stadium comes after a period marked by a serious knee injury, first sustained in 2022. During her time away from the game due to injury, she also became a first-time mum to her daughter Maia.

Following maternity leave, she made a successful return to the York squad, switching from her previous role on the wing to being a prominent member of the forward pack.

With York, who had been struggling with injuries and unavailabilities, written off by many ahead of last year’s play-offs, they stunned St Helens with an 18-8 win at the Totally Wicked Stadium – with Gentles scoring what proved to be the match-winning try just before the hour mark.

That, however, proved to be the final game she would play for the Valkyrie as further issues with the troublesome knee kept her sidelined and questioning her very future in the game.

“I ruptured my PCL about two months before the World Cup, and I rehabbed it and got back playing, but I wasn’t the same as I was before. I was really struggling,” added Gentles, whose departure from York was confirmed in June after failing to make an appearance all year.

“During that time, I fell pregnant, so I had to take some time out of the game, and when I did get back, I was trying to play without a PCL, and then last year I ended up also rupturing my MCL, LCL, and PLC. In fact the only thing still in tact in my knee was my ACL – which is the one the people usual lose, but mine was really strong still.

“To go from scoring in, and winning, the Grand Final with York and feeling really good about myself, to then having surgery, which was much more extensive than we initially thought, and being told I was never going to play again –  it was like going from the highest highs to the lowest lows.

“I did get back to York, but things started to feel like they were unravelling for me, and I felt that maybe it was time for a change, so I took a step away from the game and prioritised taking care of myself, spending time with my family, and deciding if I actually wanted to be a player anymore.

“I’d lost the love for the game a bit, but after some time out of the game, I started having a couple of conversations with other clubs, and Lori (Halloran – Giants coach) contacted me and asked me if I’d like to come and see what Huddersfield were all about.

“I went along, and when I got there I loved it. I loved the vibe from the girls, the quality of them, and the coaching staff were really warm people. I thought I’d get along well with them, so we started the conversation.

“I needed to be in an environment where I could get my confidence back and just focus on myself. I was really honest with the coaching staff about where I felt mentally, and they’ve been really supportive, so I’m feeling really good and positive at the minute.

“I just can’t wait for next season to get started.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 513 (October 2025)