NEWLY-crowned Woman of Steel Jenna Foubister has credited her rise to prominence over the last two years to a pep talk from international captain Jodie Cunningham.
After finishing 2025 as a runner-up to teammate Eva Hunter for the prestigious individual award, Foubister claimed the trophy this time round, and was presented with her prize by Cunningham.
The 19-year-old was handed her Wigan debut in 2024 and went on to make ten appearances that year, impressing enough in that time to earn a spot in the 20-player England squad that travelled to Las Vegas to play Australia.
While she missed out on being part of the game day squad, it proved a pivotal moment for Foubister, who went on to make her England debut against Wales later that year.
“I’m always learning and growing as a player but I’ve really enjoyed this year, and feel like I’ve become more confident within myself since last year,” Foubister, who beat team mates Hunter and Meg Williams to the prize, told League Express.
“I was speaking to Jodie when we were in Vegas last year and she told me that I needed to have more self-belief. She was saying ‘you’re confident on the pitch and you just need to go with flow’.
“Jodie is the England captain and she has so much experience at different positions at different levels of the game, so you’re going to take on board whatever she says.
“So I really took that into consideration and just thought “I know what I’m doing, it’s not new to me” and that has really helped my game.
“Denis (Betts – coach) took a chance in a 17-year-old girl in 2024 and had a belief in me as well that I was going to make it. I never thought that I’d be able to get into a World Cup squad and be named Woman of Steel, so to win this award now really is a dream come true.
“Meg and Eva have been absolutely amazing all year, so I knew it was going to be a tough decision for whoever was on the panel.
“I have had a great year playing in Super League and I can’t wait to have many more.”
