IT TAKES a special level of consistency to win two consecutive League Leaders’ Shield and lose just once in 18 games across two seasons.
That is exactly what York Valkyrie have done since the start of the 2022 season, but for coach Lindsay Anfield, that consistency needs be turned into Grand Final success.
After losing the 2021 Challenge Cup Final to St Helens, York hoped to get their hands on a major trophy last year when they reached the Super League Grand Final. But despite having topped the league, they ultimately went down 12-4 to Leeds Rhinos.
Anfield, and many of her squad, suffered similar frustrations during their time at Castleford Tigers, topping the league in 2019 but never finding that elusive win in a major final.
But with another play-off series ahead of her, the former England international knows what her side needs to do to finally get that particular monkey off their backs.
“The League Leaders’ Shield is the trophy that shows consistency, so to get that two years in a row shows that we’re doing something right – it’s just the big games that we have to tidy up now,” said Anfield.
“It’s about telling the players that just because they have already beaten these teams throughout the league season, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will do it again.
“We have to get rid of that mindset and focus instead on turning up and doing the job for 80 minutes. We can’t rely on one strong half or individuals; everyone has to graft for 80 minutes.
“It’s hard, because we don’t really have a league yet where we’ve got a really tough game week in, week out. So it’s difficult for them mentally sometimes to get into the right frame of mind for these big games.
“But we know that Wigan are improving all the time, and if we go in at anything less than 100 percent it could cause an upset and we don’t want to be on the back end of that.”
YORK VALKYRIE v WIGAN WARRIORS, Saturday, September 23, 15:30, Sky.