WITH Leigh Leopards’ men’s side making waves in Super League, their female counterparts are looking to follow suit.
Ready for their first taste of top-flight action following promotion last season, Kieron Purtill’s side are hoping to feed off the positivity around the Leigh Sports Village to enjoy some of their own success.
For this to happen though it will be crucial to try and build some early confidence and the way the fixtures have fallen for them could allow for that.
Following tough Challenge Cup ties against Leeds, followed by York in the quarter final (the scheduled tie against Sheffield was cancelled when the Eages couldn’t raise a team through injury), the Leopards’ first three league games see them host Barrow and Warrington before travelling to Huddersfield.
Positive performances and some points on the board in these games will give them a bit of belief going into the games against the much-fancied top four.
The men at the club have shown how to build a team in the Championship, get promotion and then prove the doubters wrong, can the women now do the same?
Watch out for… Storm Cobain will take on the captaincy role left vacant by long-serving Mairead Quinn, who will miss this season after announcing her pregnancy over the winter. In what promises to be an important season for the club as they look to establish themselves as a competitive Super League side, the Ireland international has a big role to play. But with Ireland still in the hunt for a place in the 2026 World Cup, Cobain will also be hoping to impress enough to retain her place in that squad. If she does that, Leigh will no doubt reap the benefits on the field.
Rhianna Burke says… We’re really excited to get started in Super League. It’s been a tough journey to get here – losing to Barrow in the promotion game in our second season in 2023. As tough as that loss was to take, having that extra year in the Championship to play more games and find our feet a bit more has really set us up well. I played for St Helens when Super League was just starting and there are some other girls in the squad who have played at this level for Wigan and Warrington and have had that experience, so we can give out a bit of advice, especially to the younger girls who are just coming through the ranks. You can do all the work you want in the gym and at training, but it’s a mental thing as well when you prepare for these big games, in big stadiums, so that will be a challenge for us as well, but another one we’re ready for.
2025 squad: 1 Hattie Dogus, 2 Toryn Blackwood, 3 Mackenzie Taylor, 4 Mollie Young, 5 Becky Greenfield, 6 Rhianna Burke, 7 Leah Morris, 8 Eleanor Dainty, 9 Kate Howard, 10 Alice Fisher, 11 Storm Cobain, 12 Charlotte Melvin, 13 Grace Hill, 14 Abi Gordon, 15 Sam Brazier, 16 Lucy Johnson, 17 Claire Collins, 18 Gabi Leigh, 19 Claire Mullaney, 20 Keli Morris, 21 Keira McCosh, 22 Freya Turner, 23 Kim Seddon, 25 Emily Baggaley, 26 Hannah Roberts, 27 Abby Latchford, 28 Abi Johnston, 29 Elise Gater, 30 Maddie Higson, 31 Macy McDermott
Rugby League World predicts: 6th
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 508 (May 2025)
