JODIE CUNNINGHAM has been on quite the journey over the last decade.
Since winning her first Challenge Cup trophy with Thatto Heath Crusaders in 2013 in a match played at Batley, Cunningham is one of the game’s senior players that have put so much effort into growing to the game to the point where the trophy was lifted in front of a record crowd of 8,338 at Wembley on Saturday.
As one of the games more senior players, Cunningham may not get to experience many more moments like this, but whenever she does decide to hang up her boots, she will be able to do so safe in the knowledge that days like Saturday will be the norm for the next generation of players coming through.
“We have got quite a lot of senior girls who have done a lot in the game and have been there when it was rubbish and nobody turned up to watch you on a park field,” said Cunningham, whose performance of Saturday earned her the Player of the Match award.
“Your family would know you’d won something, but that would be about it, so to be on this stage now, and coached by someone like Matty Smith, is just incredible.
“It has been 10 years since my first win at Batley, and I don’t think anyone could have imagined what we would go out and do today.
“We have a lot of young girls in the side, and one of them is Luci Sams, who was outstanding today. She is 17 years old and has now played three or four games for us. One was the semi-final at Warrington on BBC, one was today, again on BBC and at Wembley, and another game was live on Sky. So her experience of playing Women’s Rugby League is incredible.
“This is the norm for her and other players like her, yet Emily (Rudge) and I still pinch ourselves over everything we’re experiencing right now.
“How amazing is it that there are now girls starting out in all this? They’ll only push on and make it even better when the more senior players retire, but we’ll be sticking around for a while because this is pretty good right now.”
