VOTE FORTY20 – https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-rugby-podcast/
Some bits and pieces of 2023 in Rugby League, from double Grand Final joy for Wigan, York stopping us talking about them not winning and a long, but historic afternoon at Wembley.
Including:
Liam Farrell
Tom Coyd
Rob Hawkins
Keara Bennett
Tyler Dupree
Tara Jones
Chantelle Crowl
Ben Reynolds
Edwin Ipape
Simon Grix
Louis Jouffret
Jodie Boyd-Ward
Jodie Litherland
Amanda Wilkinson
Tara Jane Stanley
Rhiannion Marshall
Daisy Sanderson
Jack Heggie
Dec Roberts
Tom Johnstone
Lacey Owen
Vicky Molyneux
——
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It’s that time of year once again to look back in the year of rugby league as seen Through The Eyes of 4020 TV or if you’re listening to this as a podcast he is I guess welcome to a bunch of interviews Clips some of the show and
Search turn you some of the stories of the Year gone and if there’s something you think I’ve missed you’re probably right like Saints winning the World Club challenge or D pow’s demise at warington grading and how back the new Super League shirt font but there’s still
Plenty to go at let’s start at the season launch once where the World Cup was held the the launch of the World Cup not the actual final because you know how this story ends we begin with wig and Captain Liam Farrell building on the back of last year last year was a big
Success for us but um obviously a bit of a s end of the year so if we can take bits out of last year what worked really well for us and um adding what we’ve learned this year then hopefully it can be a success for us winning the
Challenge C obviously just missing out on on getting to the Grand Final in Old Trafford how important is that as a Target this year yeah we that’s probably looking a bit further than what we have actually done at the moment um one of the big things we’ve spoken about this
Year is just making sure we’re focusing week in week out um and if we can do that then we’re going to give ourselves a shot of being in the big games and that’s what we want to be involved in I think everyone does um but it be a
Little bit you know naive to look too far ah at the moment having the role as Wigan captain and I grew up when Wigan were winning everything and seeing Andy B and sh and whatever looking trophies what does that mean to you to have that yeah obviously Andy Farrell is one of
Big inspiration to me growing up as a kid I um I was watching Wigan in the early 2000s which was um period where Andy Farrell was probably one of the more inspirational leaders of the club and I’ve been fortunate enough to be around Shan Lin for a long time and Tomy
Lula why were two outstanding leaders in their own right and um if I can gain experience off the back of them and um watching the likes of and far when was a kid you know hopefully I can do justice of being a wi Captain obviously it’s a
Great role to get to get a future career in reun you thinking 10 15 years down on you could be coaching in the Six Nations oh no I don’t think I can ever see myself being a coach when you see your plans after rby what what what would you like to be
Doing in a few years time I’d love to definitely still be involved in the game I think i’ be still not to but uh probably more on the performance side of things and you know hope I I love the game of rugby so hope I can still be
Involved messing the time up slightly one of the highlights of 2022 was England’s win in the wheelchair rby League World Cup final over France and we got the chance to reflect on that with coach Tom Coy during the wheelchair rby League Awards night I can’t believe the amount of people that are interested
In us and and that’s not because they shouldn’t be but you know the the Pioneers who were here tonight who first played on a car park in 2003 where we’ve got to now playing in the copper box playing at Manchester Central on BBC 1.2 million live I it’s
It’s amazing and can’t fathom what’s next I’ve got some dreams and I’m going to push for them but probably what what ends up happening might be even better than that so how how old are you CU you want to work about what age I’m 27 27 so you’ve achieved the Pinnacle of the
Sport what do you do next good question win another one it’s the only thing defend it in another country you know we’ve won a home World Cup in front of our home fans and our family and supporters which is so special so few teams get to really do
That in any game um and and the best thing we can do now is Go and show everyone that we can do it abroad so we’ve got a short cycle to work with less than three years now until the next one’s going to happen um we’ve got an
Opportunity to bring new people into the game uh funnel through the developing players in the Super League the championship the development leagues in the UK but also the wheelchair sport athlet who now realize what wheelchair regular league is we want to give those people a go and and have some Talent
Transfer opportunities so that uh we can go to France in 2025 and and double up it was such a a great event that everything around the final the game itself was superb when you’re in that moment how much of that can you take in the the crowd noise and all that how
Much do you take in at that point it been Ted it would honestly be such a blur it’s um I think a lot of people would say like you have the memory of it in the moment and then you kind of create a new memory based on watching it
Back on video um what still makes me laugh is when the when the final whistle went obviously the cameras were focused on the lads on the pitch EMB bracing and then switched back to where I was hoping to find me celebrating but what I was
Actually doing was in a in a ball on the floor um just sobbing really and overcome with emotion and anyone who’s who’s dedicated themselves to something for for years will know how it feels when you finally achieve what you set out to um and it was that sense of
Relief Joy an accomplishment that I just wanted to have a moment with myself on the floor so I still think back to that all the time really and so many core memories were made throughout that World Cup but that’s one of one of the ones personally for me that I’m so grateful
Mentioned obviously going on in defending and retaining the world what of the doors has winning the World Cup open to you as as a person as a coach um yeah good question I mean I’m so passionate about Ro League I’m so passionate about um competitive Sport and sport in general I think
Um I’m a little bit worried about what what sport is to the younger generation of people because there’s so many other things that you can do instead now so what I’m I’m super passionate about in reg league and just sport in general is keeping that alive keeping people
Interested in playing sport at the highest level but also at at every place on the Spectrum so um what I want to do now at like you say at 27 having won a World Cup is is see where I can take my career but also see what I can do along
That journey to to keep people involved whether they be young or old disabled or not disabled I just want as much people as possible to to carry on playing sport because for me it shaped me in the most um serious and and distinctive way were it not for Sport and and specifically
Roa League I would be someone completely different so I just want other people to have that experience so um Le Lee Radford then now we’re talking about Castleford this can’t just be results because we’re three games into the season and and teams can start badly it
Just happens and and the way the fixes last year the way the fixes fell they go to Whole right this this is just on paper before anything’s played so they go a whole toss of a coin I think I TI Castleford whole one right St Helens at
Home forget the fact they’ve come back from Australia you still go with St Helens they’re the Champions you’re going to tip Saints in every game they play pretty much because they should win every game on paper it’s not playing on paper Wigan yeah Wigan they’re better
Than Cass so Wigan are going to win so it’s nothing to do with results um performance I don’t know because I’ve not seen the game on on Friday although judging by some tweets it sounds like as soon as Wigan scored that was it Cass just collapsed collapsed bit like Man
United on Sunday can’t mention that enough often no I was I was s in the studio and like what is going on here I was annoyed because I back birthing for the score um but this has got to come down to the Joe Westman thing hasn’t it I think that’s indicative something yeah
I don’t think it’s just the Westman thing I think the Westman thing is an indication that I think there are parallels between what Cass might go through this year and what Warrington did last year if you know that the 14 of your players are off contract at the end
Of the season it’s very very hard to get a cohesive group together all pushing in the right direction and Daryl Powell found that he needed to get rid of some players earlier because he felt they were a negative influence he also knew that he wasn’t going to be able to do a
Hell of a lot with some of the players that he knew he was going to release and they knew they were signing for other clubs it was a it Kyle Amore said it didn’t he when he was on one of his very many media appearances that the atmosphere when he joined everywhere was
A little bit toxic uh I think the same is true C and whilst whilst that may or may not come under uh lee radford’s control because he’s involved in in in that situation it might be the board deciding who they do want who they don’t want who they’re bringing in who they’re
Not bringing in what um what options their coach is going to have or whether they’re going to tell them what they’re going to have all of that has clearly been going on throughout the offseason um and it’s manifested itself in their first three performances the Westerman issue and the fact that radford’s not
There I I think the spotlight falls on the board for me regardless of the the second part of the Westerman issue the first part is that he was out drinking for that’s the first thing and that’s the main that’s the main that’s a culture thing is that’s the main thing
Culture at a club I I think he played the first game after that well you’re I think I think you’re right to point out that there are two issues here one is what is any player doing out a week before the season you know you’ve worked seven eight weeks in preseason to get
Yourself to Peak condition every Club does that you’ve done all the hard snc stuff but a week before you’re going to go out you’re on a bender in Castleford it’s like probably doesn’t say too much about you then you almost try and sweep it under the carpet um then you pick him
The first week he his stats would indicate you was one of their best players in that but he’s dropped the second week there’s something out of kilter there I I think this is this is going to be one of those bizarre theories that I come up with but it’s
Still this is where my brain was going this morning I think the as Brian Carney described us at the Super League launch the rby league fourth stat LLY ran for down a garden path in that press conference now we were told before you know the clubs made a statement blah but
You know because that’s what journalist do they asked questions about Jo Westman and he didn’t play a straight bat just you know in the way that when um I was in the presser when Chris Chester was asked about Izzy fellout who was going to come over and then the game got
Canceled anyway um and he just said you I’m not going to say anything and eventually he did say something but he didn’t say anything at the same time as soon as Lee Radford started talking about Joe Westman the floodgates were open and and and people and and everyone
In the in on the zoom call knew knows what Lee radford’s like and the way he speaks and the way he is so they knew that if they ask the right questions they would get the right response for them and if you ask about something and
And his response is he’s mental yeah I think Lee Miss read the room and given his time again was trying to be Lee and and but there are some issues where where you can’t make a flippant remark and what we you know we shouldn’t forget and I think we mentioned that you can’t
Forget is that there are victims in this and the club has a duty of responsibility to the people that are affected by it uh particularly with the way they make their comments and and the next day to say oh there’s been a disciplinary hearing and we’ve looked at
It and we find them a huge amount that we’re not going to tell you what it is and uh it’s alcohol related and and so we’re going to look at that as well it’s like that’s not enough you haven’t dealt with it you haven’t paid due respect to
The people are going to get hurt by all of this um so yeah I think there is it’s it’s hard to say because we’re looking at it from the outside in rather than the inside out but there seems to be nobody taking a leadership role at Castleford outside of
The playing area say well what direction is this club going in um I I don’t know about you but Whitefield are having something built there is an edifice there that says we we’ve said a lot that we’re going to do something we’re now doing something Castleford you can have
As many planning permissions as you like have you got the finance because we’ve seen three or four different schemes and none of them are nearer to actually coming to fruition today than they were when they they’re on a drawing board which is great but they’re on a drawing
Let Lee is enjoying his retirement from RE League the mid-season Internationals came close to the start of the season if anything especially for the women England beat France 64 nil in both match and we spoke to dere on Tyler depri after the men’s game but first here’s Kira Bennett obviously AIT onesided game
But did um did England get out bit what you wanted to get out yeah 100% um obviously I think you like it’s a new group this time round new coaching staff new players that have come into the squad I think yeah we did everything that we intended to do uh trust the
Process and um ultimately our skill and our just competi competitiveness sorry just got us on me good GRS and it’s good to be playing International Rugby isn’t it whatever the standard yeah 100% obviously it’s always an honor to represent your country and to get these opportunities where we here all these
Girls and boys like wanted signatures now is just unbelievable and I think obviously coming off the back of the World Cup we need to display more women’s rugby and build it up going forward nice to get a last um last run out with Georgia for for a while anyway
Yeah look Georgia is one of my best friends um so it’s obviously going to be talking not see there every week but you know these occasions are really special something I I’ll always remember and yeah I’m excited for it how do you think she’ll go and Fran you know Georgia and
Fran just unbelievable you know they’ve got a skill set what it’s hard to come by and I think taking the opportunities and playing at the level over in the NRL is going to be going to bring the game on even more obviously it’s a big loss
For us but um what’s our loss is their gain over there and I think ultimately they’re going to help develop the sport and and yeah yeah yeah you’ve got a podcast now I’m concerned because obviously it’s competition for us how did that come about why are you doing that you know um
Me and Caitlyn we we good pals and we were sat down and we just thought we need to start talking about things that aren’t talked about and I think that coming from a players’s perspective I feel like we can bring a lot of that um whether that be different conversations
About the development of the game or just what it’s like to be a rugby player in in this centur yeah you’ve uh managed to come back with your socks today that that’s obviously a positive after last time pardon last time we spoke was after the World Cup game heading when you gave
Your socks away you but you’ve got all your kit on today yeah I’ve got all my kit on you know this is a pretty special kit um one thing I’m really proud of obviously associating with Le Rob Boer um so yeah it was really proud today to
Pull this shirt on and again after the game like the World Cup lots and lots of spectate away You’re Still the player still signing autographs and the game’s been gone what 20 minutes or so I know yeah I I just had to be pulled away um
You do feel bad when you don’t get round to everyone um but yeah it just shows how far the game’s coming you know this full stadium with all these boys and girls I just hope they can look up to us and we’ll be good role models for them
What it like that I mean death question because it’s one you’ve probably been asked a million times already what was it like out there um do you know what it it were tough to start with um I think I came on just as they were getting tired
So uh I was able to sort like utilize that and then obviously they came out firing again in second half uh first 10 20 minutes were were tough but um we always expected to be tough and I w’t have it any other way really what was
Camp like building up to this on your International debut it’s it’s been unreal Camp’s been dead professional but everyone’s just sort of like jelled of each other in such a short space of time uh we’ve only been on Camp for 5 days so uh yeah I think that’s down to coaching
Stuff though I think they’ve really made a gel um and sort of like lay the platform of of what they’re expecting very much a new looking side coming off the back of the World Cup what’s it like being part of that and part of the process going into a series against Tong
And then the the next World Cup only the around the corner uh no it’s quite quite the honor really um obviously way is looking at a younger Squad and a squad that he believes that can win a World Cup and to even be looked at is is quite
The achievement for me so I’m really happy with it but I’m just just going to take each each sort of week as it comes play well for my club and then hopefully way will call me again to call me to camp for the Tonga series I’ve just seen
Was on last week it was wasn’t it it was brilliant um again the best team didn’t win in terms of all the stats and the um status of the players that war New South Wales blue you would have thought that they would have beaten a queens and team that
Suffered a couple of injuries and were picking a couple of players who were out of position but there is something about that resilience and spirit that they’re almost impossible to beat go the Maron the Ralph Mor that’s the only other story yeah what good luck Ralph in your quest too
Destroy reun thanks for that the government are great out there that surprise you I suppose he did yeah um you know the next announcement will be magic weekend for be un yeah but it does it did surprise me it’s suppos to some extent but when you
When you think about it and the work that Ralph did with the government around you know rub getting the ETC and in actual fact when you think about it and his experience in rber league and a CEO you know it’s not surprising actually for all I
Think it says more about rby Union that if you were to go back a few years and say you’ve got some troubles we’re going to send in a troubleshooter with a rugby league background they would have gone they’re not coming anywhere near well I don’t think they have a choice do they
But I think it’s really interesting again the relationship between the two sports where Rugby Union are at the moment looking for more rugby league expertise not just on the coaching side but now on the administrative side I I’m intrigued by how this will play you know Ralph goes in says well I think
You should have 13 men those line outs are waste of time those I supect it probably won be along those lines he wasn’t perfect and he did lots he did some bad things but he also did some good things oh I think in terms of his reputation with government and the
Way he handled Co and the negotiations that he went and fought his corner at Downing Street he is perceived to be um you know an administrator of Merit and Karen morouse was saying say that he gets underestimated because sometimes he he comes over in a in a bluff manner um
But actually you know he he he played a Blinder with keeping the sport going at one of its most difficult times I just think it’s really interesting that whether they’ve got a saying who comes in or not that somebody with a pure rugby league background is going to be
Advising Rugby Union how they move their sport forward I I would never have known that to happen in the past no maybe not but actually as a sport it’s not a badly run sport rubby League no for what it is for what it is it generally cuts his
Cloth accordingly you know and for all the critics of the salary cap you know it’s not that often that we have clubs I just can’t envisage you meeting in the wood paneled offices of Twickenham where the owners of Rugby Union are being told what they need to do by someone who is
Versed in rugby league it’s a really interesting Dynamic and uh I said I think it says more about the state they’re in at the moment they’re in a mess R in a massive mess hilarious isn’t it it’s absolutely hilarious they’ve been they’ve been um bailed out too often by an international game and
Um and not address the issues that they have which not for discussion here I just think going to you know even the government saying you need to get a rugby league guy in I’ve never known that happen before now can you imagine Dudley wood do you remember Dudley wood
Was he one of the 57 Old FS yeah go yes bring a rugby league man and he could tell us what to do the best the number one greatest Innovation the game has brought in 4020 town when they were in TR they brought in Neil Warner and the Neil war
Of rby Le is in front of me he John K his book we got some copies of it can you buy this in the shop no that’s the I think the last one the last one good he could he could go here our guest going to fall over um he’s been Let Go
By witness who were beaten by switon yday great result for Swinton that bottom of the championship I mean bottom of super league is irrelevant because we know what’s going to happen happen there but at the bottom of the championship You’ got Newcastle on Five Points you
Would assume that they probably are in B because they are five points behind snon and York and yor have got a massive game on Wednesday going to White Haven haven’t they and then they’ve got to play again on on Sunday against Halifax York have got a massive week Barrow on
11 white Heaven on 12 as mentioned white Heaven playing York on Wednesday Keithley on 12 now after that win that James was out on Sunday and just above them London and witness now winess are five points outside the playoffs but four points outside the relegation Zone I don’t think they’re going to get
Relegated but what do I know I’ve not seen much Championship Rugby this season but obviously they’ve made the decision that Now’s the Time for a coach they brought him to steady things to get rid of him to shake things up again I guess I think it was James Gordon on social
Media who is a follower of witness uh commentates on the their game said that this will now be the seventh season in succession that winers have ended it with a different coach and you would look at that and say is is that the issue which is not to point the
Finger at the people that run the club now is the issue that unless there is some kind of stability and it’s back to the discussion we’ve just had about here Mo a view of where you want to be and how you want to get there and somebody’s
Given the time to undertake that you’re always going to be just changing your coach and and as a club not moving forward I I’m not sure what a club like wh is at the moment exps um where they think they should be in the pyramid why um Donia going solves
Along standing problem um who they turn to next I genuinely don’t know um it came as a shock to me when I when I saw that because obviously we’re we’re big fans of John I think the job that he’s done in the sport is amazing I think where wherever he’s gone he’s he’s
Invariably left the team in a better place than they were when he arrived he is a as you say a bit of a troubleshooter um can still clearly do a job think was uh felt that he he was prematurely um ousted from his position at at Bradford when they were undergoing
Similar turmoil and change um yeah I I I always get the perspective from supporters and obviously I am of Cl used to coach that when it’s not going well when you’re not winning every week it’s easy to criticize his style of play because it’s pragmatic it’s not
Expansive it is what it is but when it gets results it’s fine because you’re not bothered but when it doesn’t get results then you know but you know he’ll be back somewhere cuz somewhere else will need that that fire fighting I don’t know where I don’t know where it I’m
Surprised I’ve on the way fi Facebook groups yet all say I’ll come back as director of R all that kind of thing well of course James Ford hasn’t yet been replaced has he so I mean wouldn’t necess be the the worst idea would it to
Have him as a well it may even help and somebody who I suspect that the pair will have worked together when Mark was uh was working on the academy area John would have been the coach there so it’s not like as if they’re unknown to each
Other it might be a good fit you don’t want to you just look at the league table in whichever Division and you go I well if they lose this game and they lose that game and then they can see Jun K turning up at a other club but it’ll
Be on the Telly at least next time that when the Champion Cup semi-finals roll around talking Good Sense he just talk good sense we made a new friendly ship in Halifax and England’s Rob Hawkins one of those are four mentioned World Cup winners and thanks to that he got an
Invite to Wimbledon for the tennis iies rather than a London Broncos game how do you decide what to wear and who told Tom hell that a three-piece suit would be a good idea in all fairness I didn’t same there’s a photo going around or well there’s a photo on on the England rugby
League site um where it were just showing me in my shirt and me waste Co and that would because they put the roof down do apologize got me cat fling attention at the same time yeah C want attention um but because they had to have the roof on for that first match
It stayed on through that whole time um me a second let me just go over there there we are um Tor waft in inside camera so it’s always great when I get another another guest on um but I State me me me jacket off because the ruling
Is at Wimbledon is that if you if you put the roof on um you can’t take it off until the game’s Enders so I’m there surviving at least few good games with me jacket on and I’m like right starting to sweat now because the heat starting to come in so
I took it off and then they were like oh uh went out front to balcony area and uh I think it was Simo that said right let’s grab a photo and we’ll send it over like okay so you got them them two still in the jackets and me just there
Me in me shirt and shirt and waste coat and I’m I’m just wondering how in the Flaming L are you guys actually staying on like staying like fully uh fully dressed in like in everything I couldn’t survive and I I would close to like them me unbuttoning me unbuttoning me shirt
And like rolling it up as quick as much as I could um but no I mean because the temperature were off and on like well the weather I should say because it were raining one minute and then it was sunny and then it like you couldn’t win um and
Then it got to the point where it just decided right was going to stay sunny now um I don’t know but I mean it felt good to say that we all had different types of suits on I had me World Cup one on uh because in all honesty I love
Wearing that suit uh it always brings back the good memories uh throughout throughout the world cup but then at the same time it’s also just I enjoy I like the suitings in general he had uh hell there in uh the cream one which I think
He wanted to fit I think there were like some form of dress code that I didn’t know about with regard to that and then Simo rocking up in the shorts as well which I did get warning that he did have permission from it um so I found that
Quite funny as well to be honest because I got four warned before and um I got a call saying right do you need do you have any questions about it anything with regards to the dress or anything like that we say no shorts obviously we
Give Simo a bit of a uh we given him like bit of a oneoff we can allow him to do it obviously because of because of uh the um I forget the legs pretty much um and uh yeah it it was quite funny because i’ seen him like you see
Everyone else like wearing like suits really suited up and then you see out um Sim just walking around his shorts and I chuckling to myself throughout the day because of that I thought you were rocking the G Southgate look oh really the the other um question which everybody’s must surely have asked you
Is what do they give you presumably it’s more than a cup of tea and a ponet of strawberries and some cream and because I know that Tom was uh worried that he’d used the wrong Cutlery uh yeah yeah we all um so we we had um we started off with some like uh
Like lunch kind of thing uh beforehand before the matches started because we had a strict thing of like right be there for 11 at the early place and we sit down for about half 11 and it goes um and we just sat there we’re all eating and then we’re making sure about
Like I think we’re all like looking at each other at one point like right who’s going to pick up the cutlery first because whoever it is we’re going to just follow their lead um and because we don’t we’re not used to that we’re normally just used to seeing right we’
Got a knife here we’ve got a fork here this is what we’re eating with but with this we have to like completely change it it felt like CU like right we’re not in this situation normally we’re not like which one are we supposed to use first
And that uh it’s it’s tough It’s really tough to actually say which one it was so we kind of we’re kind of like winging it a little bit or just following whatever someone else is doing because I know me and high World joked like right we’re not going to be the first ones
Because if we got it wrong we have someone else that we can pin the blame on and it’s not us so we’re making sure about that we had a um we had a good amount of things to take away with us though um now uh we had I’m trying to
Think like proper Wimbledon like water bottles kind of thing that they gave us that they made sure to basically state that it was eco-friendly um and then also like these metal cups as well so they basically gave you like a bottle of water and then
The metal cup where you can just pour it in now was the Yorkshire Lads we didn’t we were thinking about that we would just drinking straight from the bottle to be honest um and just going from there although we saw a lot of people
Doing it so we we I think we got a bit of leeway with that um but then we just we we just sat down we had um the the service there was like unbelievable like we didn’t expect it like you’d have a you get people like
You get the uh the staff there offering you a drink you finish your drink two seconds later they’re coming over and saying would you like over and it’s like right how am I going to play this because I definitely cannot get uh I can’t get too heavy on the drinks but
The really they were really good it was it was honestly unbelievable with how amazing that staff was and just the event all all day rounds the front balcony you could see the other you could see the other courts um it was just one strict thing and that’s when when players are in play
You’re not allowed to come in or out of the box you’ve got to sit there and just wait but it weren’t really too bad really would honestly it was just amazing day and it’s definitely one for the memory box if we were handing out Awards right now for Club of the year
And I know where what halfway into this well no last halfway into the season then the club of the year in super league would be the league leopards who have rebranded in a comical way granted they haven’t got a website yet but uh they are second in the table they’re in
The semi-finals of the challenge cup I said to Edwin a papy at the start of the season in a in a comical way almost all the pressure was taken off the players and the coach at the start of the season because of the the Rebrand and well you
Can’t say that now because they’ve won 12 they win again at Castleford at the weekend they’ve got sford this weekend if all results went their way they could go top of the table by the end of the week which would be uh which would be some story in
2023 oh it’s astonishing I mean um I think Adrien lamb deserves an enormous amount of credit um not only for the way he’s prepared his team the tactics he’s played but um the fact that the belief that he’s had clearly going into the the season has translated itself into the
Players they’ve kept most of them fit they play a lovely attractive style of rugby they’ve got some key players in the spine positions that are playing well every week not least his son lackan who who again if we were to give a man of steel two thirds into the season I
Reckon he’d be it um and he’d probably be fighting off John Asiata for the uh for the for the crown as well um no it it it’s an amazing success story because we haven’t seen a promoted team perform as well as this ever in the summer era
Um and and I don’t think you you know I need to look further than that off the field clearly their pre-match entertainment has been brilliant um the buyin um I I think you know it’s harsh to use the word comical about their Rebrand I think we may have thought that
In February and and looked at you know are using the right logo when you you know is it really a leopard and is the is the is the shirt great or you know does it need revamping a little bit to to get you forget all of that the town
Has bought into it um the fans are bought into it uh nobody really is calling them centurians anymore they are leopards and uh in that sense the rebranding has worked um and and again I think you’ve got to take your hat off to to Derek Bowmont who again can be a you
Know a figure of fun occasionally you know sometimes he he perhaps tweets when he shouldn’t and and and maybe about things that he shouldn’t but but all in all I think is his um his his leadership and and his financing has been all most impeccable this year for what they’ve
Been trying to achieve and and I wouldn’t want to take anything away from from what they’ve done the problem they’re going to have is if this success comes back and bites them because two or three of their players you can imagine would be very sought-after in the the
NRL and and then you’ve got to almost start this process again but for where they are at the moment um Team of the Year Without question I just Echo that just it’s tremendous I was WR looking at Twitter this week I saw some interesting stats on promoted teams and what they have and
Have done and what they haven’t done and one that stood out was that there’s no promoted Club has won 15 games since old them in 1982 83 which is 83 was the year I was born so it’s such a long time ago you know but what they won 12 games
So they’re not far off that and you’d expect them to get at least 15 games between now and the end of the season so I think you know historically that just proves it doesn’t it as as Phil said that they’re certainly the best promoted team in in the Super League era smart
Recruitment an un owner who’s obviously got the money to uh back up his mouth which which must be substantial knowing Derek’s reputation I mean they’ve done I think we shouldn’t lose sight of the style that they played as well because again it hasn’t been five drives and a kick they’ve played wonderfully entertaining
Rugby scored a lot of tries they like to move the ball um they’re not frighten to express themselves doing it off the back of a aggressive pack of forwards who who can play and you know if we are talking about John aiat yeah he’s tough um you
You wouldn’t want to be stopping him if he was running at you but he’s got a beautiful late offload in him and that’s giving people like lamb and Reynolds the the chance to spread the ball they’ve got old heads in in sort of hard acre
And Brisco um who who just know how to manage a game and they’ve stayed relatively well not relatively they have stayed injuryf free there was that amazing stat the other day um as who’s got the most ever presence and and it’s something special when you’ve got the
Smallest Squad but the most number of people that have played all the games this season that’s something about the conditioning staff the the training regime um you know the fact that they’ve they’ve spread the workload about themselves I I I just don’t think you can I think we may be under restorated
Adrien lamb he took Wigan clearly to a grandf fin that was lost by a a fingertip but but was then dispensed with and you thought you know it’s Le a retrograde step when going back into the championship clearly is he’s a fantastic coach and again you know wouldn’t want
To put any dampness under the the success that Lee have had so far this year but you would be very surprised if PE you know teams in the NRL were not looking at him bearing in mind he’s still the assistant coach of Australia um who clearly don’t play often enough
But he’s still very highly thought of over there and and you would think um particularly if there was interest in his son um and and I’m not saying this because I I wish him to leave either of them to leave Le that we want the best talent over in our competition but you’d
Be very surprised if certain clubs weren’t looking at him as a potential assistant coach his son as a as a as a leading player but forget all about that enjoy the season I I tell you what the the semi-finals coming up uh almost impossible to predict and even though um
St Helens are favorites in terms of The Bookies uh for the challenge cup that is a semifinal where Lee have got absolutely nothing to lose and the players that they’ve got and the manner that they played Dell trouble Saints and leot Wembley would be another fantastic chapter in this wonderful story this
Year right Wembley now and three sets of winners to hear from Halifax in the 1895 cup Lee after a historic men’s final and even more of that stuff was written in the women’s one with Tara Jones becoming a future Trivia Question Answer history maker Ty Jones tell me about the TR uh
Yeah it’s is absolutely incredible you know absolutely team effort today um there’s a few of us that got over the white wash obviously me being the first that’s absolutely incredible and that’s something that will stick with me forever that actual moment and things like that but credit to the girls an
Absolute team effort we’re one Squad and you know every single person in that Squad whether they stepped on the field today or not we’ve all played a part in this and we’ve made history together are you able to sum up what it feels yet obviously we’re still minutes after the
Game’s released yeah it’s just feels a bit surreal really like you say it’s so hard to put it into words you know we’re all really really excited we’re all buzzing with the result and yeah it’s hard to put it into words but just exciting we’re absolutely overwhelmed
With all the support and we thank all the fans for following us so yeah real big day for us I think it was last year there was some ridiculous celebrations on the bus what’s it going to be like this time going back to S oh who knows
Who knows what’s going to happen on this bus on the way home and then when we get back to the club later on but um yeah the celebrations are going to be big and we’re going to party hard tonight congratulations thank you very much how
Do you feel on top of the world Cloud n into do wemy it’s just amazing yeah what was the experience like the whole week building up the today the match the after Park well well the after part is on its way and do you know what I’ve got
To give it to sa the club you know what I mean and we were unfortunate to not get a bit of payment and stuff this year but we stuck through we’re tight group of girls and what they’ve done you know with us coming to Wembley is just outstanding they’ve been there for us
They’ve been giving us loads of Kit and giving us Captain run on on our home around um you know good food breakfast luxury boss you know what I mean it it goes on forever um and the really looked after us and for us to then go out and
Win it for not just us but for the club it’s just it’s just phenomenal feeling team performance out there no no individual stood out then every everyone’s happy about the team I I know J want to play the match M but yeah we we always say play of the match you know
It goes to the whole team um and we all worked really well and you know some of our tries it hit about you know seven players before that try had happened so that takes all seven players you know what I mean and behind the scenes behind
The fans and stuff no matter what you think that comes off uh hard work in the middle or the outside backs or quick play the ball so do you know what I mean we we all work really hard together and we definitely pulled it off that five
Minute spell in the first half where you scored three tries in in quick succession obviously what what were your feeling after that were you thinking we’ve got this we we’re LT the challenge C no um obviously we’ve kept positive all week and we know we’re a strong team
But you know you go out there with knowing the unknown um and we expect nothing and after we scor them three tries we kept nil nil in our head um and just keep doing what we’re doing and building pressure on their side and and just trying to control the game um you
Know we control it and then we go again so just stick to the completion and uh yeah it worked not bad performance with the forward Pack Unit as a whole no was hell we ever B we’re amazing um but yeah no it it was phenomenal the forwards The
Backs um even when Zoe went off jod switches fullback tar in 13 when when the team gets changed you know it’s hard it’s hard to readjust and everyone did it phenomenally yeah it was awesome what’s next what’s next side obviously apart from the Grand Final well the
Grand Final is our next look along so H our next look up so we’re going to look to that to uh we want to lift the cup there and um just Tak in every day as it comes every week as it comes every game as it comes and and we’ll see what
Happens are but now you’ve been here you must want to come back again and again and again again well hopefully they’ll keep us here and hopefully we showcase a great game so you know we’re hoping to come back next year but you know maybe might be four in a row you never know
Playing all season wearing leopard print shirts I don’t think I love it party outfit Lee what why why is it happened why why has this happened to League weapons because we have an owner who believes in the club in the town uh and we have a coach who believes in his
Players and we have players who are best mates that’s why Wei that today at the start of the season I have this theory that everything Derek’s done the kit the Rebrand it takes all the pressure off you because everyone’s talk about him and how D he is is there any am I coming
Up with some nonsense listen dere’s going out man whether he did it for that reason or not it’s obviously worked a little bit because we’re achieving and all the talk we wanted to avoid relegation and on the inside we were confident what we could do but I think
We’ve achieved it’s one of the biggest in the game isn’t it to to win the challenge c what does that mean to you personally mate as a kid and a rugby player that’s all you want to do you want to win the challenge cup and getting older and older I’m 29 now and
Maybe last year I thought was in the championship I thought I’m never going to get the opportunity to do that one year later I’ve just the troph it’s the best feeling in the world I get to do it in front of my grandparents it’s the best feeling in the world congratulations challenge Cup
Winner um you said on Monday you were here SP last year when the 1895 wed to win the big one you’ve won the big one how are you feeling I can’t put anything wor to be to be honest it’s I was going to speak I was going to
Speak going on I was going to speak him but I’d rather speak to you it’s it’s like something that have you know we we all the boys have worked hard and we certainly deserve this you know it’s it’s just awesome and I can’t put it in the words like it’s
It’s crazy and it’s happening now um I’m sure you know we’ll we’ll sit back have a beer together and enjoy enjoy this moment you are winning up until the last minute of the game they equalize what’s going through your head at that point um yes so you know Grand finals and
Semi-finals it comes down to the last last minute and you know when they try when they scor they try you know we we just had to get ourselves together as a group and you know we went out there we said okay if we if you’re going to kick
Off or if you’re going to you know get the ball first you know we do what what it takes to get you know get that win you know so um yeah no one was negative in that in that period everyone was positive we knew that we were going to
Get the job done and um you know L you know he he does what he does so yeah what did you do when the ball went over just a relief just a big relief I just turned to the crowd and just pumped there and then just running to pile up
From where the boys are piling up on on top of locky but yeah it was just um a big relief and you know I just told myself you know this is it we’ve done it it’s been 53 years coming for the fence like I’ve told you um before before this
Week I mean before this this game and you know it’s those are the moments that the fans will have forever in their hearts and that’s why we play the game you know and um you know these are the moments where for me personally as a player you know I’ll
I’ll think I’ll think about when I when I look at this you know medals or when I look at the trophies or when I hear about challenge cup these are the moments that that’ll linger in my heart what are you expecting the reaction to be from back home cuz you win your coach
Obviously agent the man who puts over the drop the first ever ping your begin to win the lone Trophy this afternoon as well um yeah it’s it’s massive you know all my family all my you know good mates good friends and everyone was up late 12:00 a.m. you know midnight wasn’t
Ideal but they were they were up to you know watch the leopards play and everyone was emotional on the phone they send send me message through and you know those are the stuff that you go out there and you you play for them you know you represent your your people and your
Community and um and the people that you know um people that look up to you or people that believe in you and um just you know just to know that you know they they are late knowing that you know we’ve got the win I’m I’m pretty sure
That they you know they’re just over the moon and I’m sure it’s going to be a big news back home it’s already a big news and with social media and that but um yeah just you know they they love it it’s it’s a rugby league nation and it’s
Not only for the leopards so for myself it’s it’s an achievement and I’m sure that the people that follow rugby league back home will you know will celebrate you’re going to try and get Mr B to fly all over with with the TR you to get the trophy back in Port
M um I’d love to take the trophy back but yeah know um you know I’m proud of Loy for what what he has done this year you he’s been outstanding I think he’s been one of the best you know halfback one of the best players in in the comp
And he certainly deserves to get that um trophy as as a man of I mean man of the match performance you know he he he scored one he he he got that field goal and you know he’s been he’s been awesome so I’m I’m very proud of him as as a Pap
Brother and just to play alongside him it’s just awesome so yeah proud of him finally what about the noise could could you hear it at fulltime when when the kick went over because it just it was a great atmosphere throughout but that was a an amazing moment right I couldn’t I
Couldn’t listen to the people that were next to me so we were just looking like literally just eyes and then connecting when we got the break or when the crowd went quiet that’s when we get together but they had feel was just epic and um
Just you know it’s um like I I knew that I was just standing there and um thinking through like 52 years ago moments like this happen and I knew that those fans were reflecting on that and I’m sure a lot of the people in the in the crowd teared up and you know
Thought of those moments um I’m very proud that we’ve done the job for the fans and for the people that you know that that came came all the way to support us yeah look B they always going to have their say but you’re right 65 probably very dominant still thought we
In control even though it was camped on our line we defended with a a really good attitude and energy and and you know turning up for each other I suppose it’s that’s where the teamship and mhip counts I thought we had it in Spades today um got a Comm in Bley thought they
Were brilliant um we we had like grind we just set for set for long periods and they were good and they did what B always do with they hang in there and they came with a brilliant try it must be brilliant to watch on TV and and
Between I thought we come a really good game to have a TI to the championship and um hopefully it dragged a few more fans along to watch those games but you know had we lost it or even drawing it I thought at the end I thought it been
Probably might sound a bit as to ble fans but I thought it’ criminal I thought we absolutely dominated the game and but you fortunately they did score a great track made them score on the last blade of grass in the corner which made a real difficult kick for L kol had an
Outstanding game and he’ probably go away a little bit a little bit sour on the kick but you know on the whole you know I thought we deserve winners but it was a really good game did you watch the the kick yeah I watched it in it was
Silent it been quite noisy before then it went really quiet and obviously our fans are behind them post so I was thinking it had gone straight through but um difficult kick difficult circumstances and unfortunately when the right side it rights for us was one of those days where you you did what you
Needed to do to win yeah I thought we were good we probably didn’t challenge him quite enough we were happy just turning the ball or I thought we needed to just push a little bit more I think there were more points in that for us because a lot of energy away from with
Our our control of the ball and the territory we had so yeah it’s a final whether it’s one point 10 points 30 points no one cares at the end of the day the name on the trophy fo Fant nice in the trophy come back at yeah it’s been leing it’s been leing
Hasn’t it since the last um the wins and you know the last last time we had opportunity to come down here was 80s catchup um yeah the uh last opportunity they had to come here was 87 whatever it was and our fans still talk about it it
Doesn’t annoy me I don’t want to say it we have any disdain but it’s more we’ve got a current crop that deserve a bit of attention as well and and hopefully they can get that and they can hopefully be revered like the ones that I’ve looked
Up to forever and we still see around the club will George M Scott Paul Dixon’s in there Tony Anderson you know there’s a load of BLS we still see around and and they are revered by our fans and hopefully we’ve uh We’ve Jagged a few more cuz we don’t always get that
Many at the sh either so hopefully a few of them can turn out and we’re next at home as well quite noisy as well yeah they were was good really good atmosphere feel we we got we got here in good time and got to watch the the men’s
Challenge Cup Final caught a bit of the ladies on TV so has been a good day for rby League hasn’t it and and to get Lee on the trophy as well a new name on the trophy is great um in another very good game so I think on the whole everyone
Got the money’s worth this competition how important is it to the likes of h f that you have this chance to come to Wy and play for the um do you know what I don’t feel that important until he start going out in a minute we could have a chance of doing this
Because it’s a tough path you got to go and play tough teams to get there it’s not an easy thing to get to um and people do go it’s only 95 not bothered but I’m pretty sure they lik Mr day now to be quite honest and probably gives
These lot a little bit of fire for what what’s the remainder of this season and and our playoff hopes um and moving forward after that into into getting here again at some point youa the man of the match you think that was a deserved choice I thought Louis did some great
Stuff um he had my heart in my mouth at one point but that was one blip I thought in a game where I thought it was really good obviously took some nerves to knock them them penalties over as well which was smart and you know in
Recent weeks Lou is we’ve had a few discussions if you like um around some of his decision making and he he got put in some tough spots tonight in terms of the pressure they put him under and he came up with the right decisions at the right times which was brilliant and um
He’s been great for us in Keys’s absence Joe Keys it’s almost there in the squad this week um just got a little bit more work to do but big absence for us throughout this season and that’s been a contributed to our up and down form but I think certainly recent weeks we burn
All Pickers Gil two three along with our hookers have really stood up and took that game plan on and done a really good job of it what next up top tour of what you got oh nothing too Grand everyone’s got work to do they all got to get back
To site next week um now we’ll travel home tonight um which not ideal but you know the expense of it all all the rest of it um we’ll get home and enjoy a few few quiet bear on bus and then when we get back a few hours of recover I’d
Imagine and before we all meet up again tomorrow and spend out some time with our families cuz it’s as much for them as as it is US yeah well to be fair been a problem a few time uh kicking game when a joke is not there with us end up
In a a bad Graber kick in middle of the pit and then Woody on the next Kick K get straight in touch that puts back into the game we we know they are a grinding team so they’re going to stay in and show us son difference was just a
Missing goal kick so but it’s good to be on the good side and how do you value this competition cuz obviously the challenge Cup final now is probably going to be for Super League teams do we need to build this off a little bit more for Championship yeah this is and real
Opportunity you know for people in championships as if player that are part time so working all week and turning up doing that shift in middle that weekend really they deserve more than anyone to be here it’s just good to do to do it with them and the Halifax crowd they
Were fantastic right from the very beginning did that SP you on yeah they’ve been an know since I I came here two years ago well last year um they’ve been here every every week singing our name singing the club name and to do it for them this year on 150
Year just another Feeling Just top of it congratul thank what was going through your mind at that moment you just waiting for them to the conversion you know there’s nothing at all we can do oh to I was tired you know I’m playing on the right side and he was last play I
Went all the way to the left try to make a tackle end up floing and scoring on the eyes so I was B to be fair just catching my breath and then lucky for and miss it and that was a defense so just yeah happy happy for the it was a
Ridiculous try this yeah yeah I don’t know how many pass that must be one of the best TR of the year to we credit to them but but I think we we ground we ground the win all the way and we deserve it as much as they back yeah
Yeah it will be it will be I’m sure everyone will be out and we we’ll have a good time you mention um Game Face are you sick of that photo they keep using of you because I’ve just seen it again today because they’re setting up this women’s wheelchair terribly and you’re
On there with you with you I don’t know what you’re doing what what’s going on there what was that so so my sixy and I I have to get used to Corner six because she’s just turned six my six-year-old niece um was at that game CU that photo was taken at
Manchester against Halifax um and we have this thing if she’s at my game at the end we kind of do a psychotic smile to each [Laughter] other I mean she has to see my game face in person I mean she sees my game face a lot of the time and she’s not bothered
By it so that was like our next step of joking about and um when I realized that photo been taken I’m like oh no oh no this is going to haunt me and it’s been so I found out it had been used in the uh chall cup program at Wembley the other
Day first of all I wanted to cry when I saw the picture then I started laughing about the caption Hot Wheels um and then the Hot Wheels advert from when I was a kid started playing in my head which is not fun because my brain stuck on it for a few
Days and then this that’s gone out about the women’s event prior to the challenge cup I so I was asked for some photos that I would prefer I assumed it was for this H and I was asked to provide some of my favorite photos of myself um so
There were some from um the World Cup advert that we shot uh which you know battle ropes in a wheelchair worst decision I ever made but there were some from leads games and all that and I assume one of those would be used for the for whatever was going
Out and somebody actually sent it me on Snapchat today I went and literally that voice note of that laugh um and then um one of my teammates said I’m am going to make sure this photo never disappears after I went I despise that photo I it’s rare for me to it I
Think because I’m so I’m so much in game face in games that I forget the still cameras at the end of games so when many is there and we do stupid faces and that slightly psychotic smile um I forget and I don’t pay attention to the camera um
Fun fact by the way uh at that game um apparently she was my daughter blew my mind afterwards because I looked at my phone once we’d left um and I and I was like everyone’s going why have you not told us you’ve got you’ve got a daughter like when how who
And I’m like what so um essentially I finished give her that look got soured and changing room got my phone and saw all these messages went back out and was like mom’s going to kill me child and I was like and then when all the photos started coming out I’m like
I’m I’m no no and since then believe it or not she’s not been to her game so I haven’t done that face but I’m pretty sure that I don’t know I mean I always say I nobody knows how long they’ve got in in them for this sport because it
Depends on you know as a disabled player my conditions and how they progress um but as she said potentially donkey J I’m going to be in and I can guarantee the day I retired that will be the photo they use um I’ll make Sure no problem I want to start with the should start with the Dream Team because it’s out and uh I love it because people get upset about don’t particularly care obviously now I don’t care about Super League it’s all about the Ching for me super GRE is
Rubbish subscrib to VI players we speak his to his dummy out there his to the um but everyone gets upset about how how did you how did the drink do you have to pick your 13er because we don’t know how it works so throughout the season we nominate for the Man of Steel
So every person gets a game and obviously it’s that’s all points yeah so everybody gets points throughout the season then obviously it’s an accumulation of who’s got the points and then for your dream team you get sent a form and then you get sent the people in
Those positions so maybe like the top four or five in each position okay um and then it’s purely down to my my choice my opinion but I had 10 of the 13 I think a lot of them did pick themselves this year which is no disrespect to anybody who was on the
Judging panel but there wasn’t a huge amount of dispute there were odd ones but 10 of 13 probably is about right yeah I had um failed as my fullback well been Sensational I had failed as my fullback saying it’s not giving you a free hat or something you pick all Lee players
Because you got a hat I really do like Lee but it’s not the reason I picked F field Wigan anyway why know that’s so I said you upset sense uh I’ve no upset sense Saints have not upset me I just prefer field as a fullback I think he’s better that’s my personal
Opinion if you want to come out me in the comments go but that’s what it’s all about it no because our our viewers and listeners they’re Discerning all they don’t care about the team either this the it’s just it’s a bit fluff is it it’s nice well I felt really I felt
Really nice to be on the panel well no I’m not saying I’m not saying I’m getting to go to the award s the 10th of October so we we don’t know if we loud um hear low yeah I mean I got invited to the women’s Awards last year cuz cuz I
Think they pity on me of course we reckon having TV’s Danny CPR on the podcast helped us get on the short list for the best rugby podcast award vote now we went to York for the women’s Grand finals as Barrow gain promotion to the top bit of Super League which may
Not be its official name I’m not sure beating Lee in the process we’ll hear from their Coach Amanda Wilkerson in a moment but first he their joyous Captain Jody liand Jody congratulations Su up the feeling after that one honestly first of all absolutely knacked second of all just can’t wait to celebrate with
The girls tonight we’ve worked so hard for that two years three years four years since we came down of Raiders and yeah like what a long season it looks well 11 months so um us old girls deserve it we’ve been around a while now and um I know Lee were a great
Opposition today and um I’m sure their time will come with all their young lasses that they’ve got and the talent than they’ve got in there but it’s our time right now tight first half 2-0 you look like you you were gesticulating to the the coaching or whatever should you
Take the two before halftime yeah I couldn’t see a face so it’s like oh my God should I if I don’t I’m not going to get to off but I just think in really tight games like that like two points can be the difference so at one point as
Well in the second half we were talking to each other about thinking about taking one points so yeah really tight game and um probably didn’t show our true like ability to play until then last 20 minutes and sometimes when you back to against a wall like that um you
Just got to find that I don’t even know where it comes from sometime that that extra push and that extra gear and yeah we just found it and we’re able to get over the line in the end so no no pment they scored those two tries in the
Second half uh well the second one definitely want to try my play is absolutely 100% sure she ground it first the uh photographer behind the sticks has just show us a picture of it so that’s rubbing salt into the wom a little bit and um yeah I think that like
I said we shouldn’t need to kick up the ass like that to come back and and pull it out the bag but if that’s what it takes then that’s what it takes I think the best thing about this season there’s been some big big WIS and it’s not
Brilliant for the game um and then there some been some really really tough games like that and um I’d rather win a game like that than than beat a team 62 or whatever it is but yeah I think that um we deserve that to on the back of it
You’ve got to it’s time to celebrate but then you’ve got to get ready for next season and some some big games and some big teams are coming up to C yeah and I think that um it’s right that there’s a cuming team representing in the top division I think that’s what the girls
Were doing it for today it’s bigger than just ourselves like I’ve said there’s a group of us who are coming to the end of our journey but it’s about having them opportunities for the young kids coming through and having that ambition and goal to playing the women’s Super League
Up in kria like leag they can go and play for wigin Saints and they’ve got people who play for those clubs coming back in and uh they’ve got the opportunity to do that here uh in in like lire and Yorkshire but it’s it’s right that kumber has a team in there
And a team full of cumbrians with a cumri of Coach they could be proud of of that so yeah how how important is am Manda to the team so she she’s coach Grand Final winning team with Wigan what what does she bring to bar I think going back to your last
Question if we um two seasons ago we’ have bottled out today we’ have gone a few points behind our heads had have gone down but she’s built and built and built momentum and believ in ourselves that whatever’s up against us we can we can face it and like oh I’m forever
Grateful for her coming in and taking over that’s no kind of disrespect to anyone that’s been because it’s build been a building block we’ve built and built and built and that’s where we’re at now and we can’t wait to go and compete in the in that top tier next
Year so can’t wait how enjoy the team song Oh a lot getting that chance and let’s go and put Lee in the bin I’m and a win for bar a win for Cumbria yeah outstanding a little bit spe speechless really you know I’ve coached in some big games in my career
But this one felt different today when I got this morning I think you know there’s nothing like coaching your hometown uh and such a special bunch of girls I know I talk about it a lot they are talented players but good people make good teams and today I wanted it so
Much for them they put so much effort into it and you know it was a tight game and there was times where we were poor but when it counted they really come to and got us a win very tight tun at halftime there seem to be some miscommunication whether she should go
For the the go or not yeah the you know I’m a little bit sticking to what I like I’m not a person that likes to go for two I really am not it’s never an option uh but for me this time I just joked with the girls and said oh I only went
Only told to go for the two cuz I thought I’d get myself on camera going for the two so we’re just laughing about it but yeah that’s why because they know that I want to just play but I think it was the right choice went two tries
Behind in the second half but didn’t seem to be any panic in the team uh I think there was a little bit a little bit I think it knocked them a little bit I think they knew they had to dig deep and they had to find something probably
Some of them players out there will have gone to a place have never been before you know we’ve got a lot of new players out there that play in the first ever season of rugby league they’re not rugby players so to be in that situation to know they had to find something they’ll
Gone to a really ugly place but they did they went to that place and I think you know it was touch and go there for me watching on and they did and then as soon as they got that try I knew there’d be another big teams coming up to Barrow
Next season how are you going to make it even more of a for than you have individual uh for me I just think I’m I’m really confident with what I’ve got we’ve got some really young players young talented players and we’ve got players coming through so I’m quite I’m
Quite confident in this coming team that we have uh and for me it’s like you know yeah you know I might look at Players but but no let players come and look at us who wants to come and pull the bar shirt because that’s what we’re about
You know that for me these girls have wanted to play for bar wanted to put that bar shirt on and they’re the players that we want and for me I think there’s lots to build on to get here in two years the plan was to get to Super
League in three years and we’ve done it in two so I think the future is very bright now 2023 was finally York’s year the valkyrie which I still can’t spell renamed for this season anded their run of defeats in finals beating leads to be crowned Champions Daisy Sanderson and
Ranna Marshall’s reaction follows that of the former woman of Steel Tara Jane Stanley the group of players and Lindsay and and the assistants that have a stigma around not being able to compete in those big round finals well we’ve watched that off the park aren’t we so
Uh no I’m absolutely made up I’m made for made up for the club I made up for the girls I made up for the the coaching staff who put so much work in and I’m made up for York because we had a fantastic turnout today it was amazing
So youve owned it for us all now aren’t you because now you’ve won a final we’ve got def find you got to find something else to talk about now yeah can you go back to back and win another grand final the challenge cup well um Rihanna was
Mentioned going to win the trouble next year anyway well Rihanna loves it doesn’t she she loves the but no it’s genuinely is about just building building the club and um I think as well like the York club we want to go on we want to win the grand finals we want to
Go to to Wembley hopefully win the challenge cup but it’s also about building that foundation and and young girls who’ve Got Talent turning towards York and not just the big clubs like St Ellen’s leads and just really understanding what we’re trying to do at at York and hopefully it’ll work and
This I think this the first team from York to win a major championship in this country and you’re the team that’s done it it’s just amazing is I’m going to raise so many first I’m going to raise so many like and it’s just honestly I’ve just been pinching peachy on the side
That she come up you know that far went did itur went yeah went good it’s real cuz I’ve dreamt about this moment dream about it that much so when the hooa went off me and pachy ran at each other and they scored that’s how much we dreamt
About it but Noah I’m absolutely made up and and it still really an IT me like it’s just it’s just crazy so no one’s won woman to still back to back do you want to be a first on are you going to let your mate win it pachy is amazing
She is she’s a true Captain um and in all honesty it it the individual honors are great but it were a very lonely place last year to win it uh to win woman of Steel because obviously we lost but uh now pach deserves it she can have it how
Long’s the celebration’s going to last not very long for me working morning how big a party is it going to be tonight oh I think it’s going to be um a long one let’s put it that way everyone’s everyone’s wearing to be fair we didn’t really plan much cuz obviously
We didn’t know which way the game was going to go but we have said if we if we win then we’re going to we’re going to go out and have a good drink yeah how important was it to your you’ve been in so many finals in recent years or
Semi-finals how important was it to win this big big game uh really important and we had one goal and we stuck to that and and it’s paid off for us you know we’ve been guilty of a years they coming coming out here starting starting a process and not sticking to it so I
Think it’s fine the clips for us and and it just feels awesome like we’re just we’re just chuffed a bits coming off the bench as you did this afternoon do you feel that was a it wasn’t a bad tactic was it just rough him up a bit no I mean
That that’s everyone knows that that that’s my game I like to get in there a bit rough and Rough and Ready so um and probably give it to him like I I like to play nice and fast and things like that so that’s what that we we utilize my
Ability and and sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t and it’s work today I feel like special group of players here obviously winning the Grand Final for the first time what happens next to you um do the trouble we’ve won League we’ve won Grand Final we missed out on
Wemble this year you know next year is a new year we start fresh and we we we we rebuild and we go again so hopefully you know we’ll win trouble next year and how important is Linds anfield being to to your account and to yourself we we put
Our we this year we’ve put our blood sweat tears mainly for Lindsay because she’s done so much for us and we wouldn’t be where we are without it and and I personally played for her and and and the fans and you know I just I just left everything out there for for
Lindsay and speaking of the fans they were quite loud this afternoon I know there were parts parts of it I couldn’t even hear him I couldn’t hear real calls because the fans were that loud but it’s it’s Ace is it to think back from when I first started we didn’t even have
Playing on a pitch on a back field like and then now look at it it’s it’s great congratulations thank you very much what does it mean to a player who’s been at York for so long and when times weren’t quite as good as they are today oh do
You know what I’ve always enjoyed playing at York no matter what uh winning or losing but today to see all the fans and the crowd getting behind the girls and and the setup of girls we have now and the great coaches we have and the chairman the sponsors like it’s
Incredible to see how much the game has grown especially if the we’re such a small City and we don’t didn’t necessarily always get what we needed to grow as a club and now we have it and we’ve just we just won a grand final for it I that’s incredible uh I’m I’m
Extremely proud especially I’m York born and bred so it’s brilliant to have a grand final at home because the men have obviously never won the grand final of the championship in the olden days not yet the football team have never won the Premier League and probably you know but
You’re the you’re the first you’re the team thing all yeah we’re the team so it’s nice to see that York has got behind us you can see by the attendance today I know some were leads as well but even just the Yorkshire Community I think it’s been brilliant cuz everyone’s
Got together and we’re all proud of each other and we’re proud of leads this season as well like the game is just growing and that’s what we love to see what’s next oh well I mean I I think we’ve still got the nines next year uh
We hopefully get to Wembley we want to go to Wembley as well because that’ be immense um the final may take place in Manchester as well Old Trafford that that would be a brilliant platform as well uh I personally have enjoyed having it here in York um which has been
Brilliant for me but yeah just next steps is is winning more trophies more titles how long do your celebrations last year have you got work tomorrow or anything important oh I’ve got work tomorrow yeah I’m on the open but uh do you know what I’ll be celebrating
Tonight with the girls uh we’ll still enjoy it and tomorrow I’m sure I’ll get a round of applause at work as well so yeah wigs men want the league leader Shield presenting on the Telly medals York Women League leaders Shield got medals leads Rhino’s wheelchair team win the league leaders shield no
Medals so rfl pull your fingers out get them some there must be some spare ones somewhere in the covered Give Them All to match Commissioners and stuff so there must be some spare ones that’s often a sort of subject some hug match commission they get Med they do that
They may or not may not have been a period where they may not have got them or or weren’t allowed up a ceremony board to get them and all the rest of it but yeah just St there at the go that’s your eth substitution don’t have anymore unless it’s in Academy so
Rfl start it out there must be some spare because have spare Shield coming yeah so come on I think you make a fair point though if if you if whatever you do now for the men’s and the women has to be the same doesn’t it I mean they’re
Not made of gold they no they’re not I’ll tell you that not well I said if you don’t they’re not as good as they as they were number of years not made by FIS anymore no I don’t think they are they were I’ve got ferini medals but they’re not the
More recent ones were they’re the ones you’ve got insured you they’re the ones going on eBay keep see what’s going on so so get rfl S out come on they deserve medals I mean I’m not paying for them but new bet Fred deal yeah yeah Fred new floor wheelchair set medal get some
Medals we’ll present them they can come into the show we’ll give them the medals there must be some medals somewhere surely for narative of purposes we’re off to Manchester but to the wheelchair Grand Final as wig and warriors underdogs going in to the match opened up a lead over lead rers were pegged
Back but didn’t worry and took home the title we spoke today Captain deck Roberts after hattick hero Jack heggy congratulations Grand Final winner Su up what’s it feel like right we thought a knew ahead of game leads were clear favorites they aren’t that right theyve won the league
Uh League leaders we came in at third place everyone R rers off in the semi-final game for the final so we thought it was a free hit but a lot of these guys we’ve we’ve not like won a lot for the last 10 years so I think
When you sort of saw the final whistle there it that was the reaction it was a relief it was like you know finally we we’ won but it’s come Against All Odds and I think that’s when we’ve played our best leads in the last two
Games there’s a term that I can’t use on that we’ve basically said but we’ve just basically gone you know what we got to lose and it’s shown in that performance today some of the rugby we played is unbelievable did get a hat drink you got after I think I did yeah uh can’t
Remember would you rby Lee like there’s so much happens throughout the game you just don’t know like you just literally onto the next set onto the next set and I think we went behind for a little bit and normally for Rose that that’s the turning point where we
Start in fighting and but we stayed positive stck to the plan and I’m I’m just glad I could contribute really like I mean there I could talk about Lany I could talk about Matt I could talk about all the guys that contributed so much to
This I think that amused me the most s in the stands was lots of players they got the serious face on you like you you having a training session out there you’re having a laugh I’ve been that again there’s no pressure on us the pressure was on leads everyone wrote us
Off and I’m I’m a bit I wind people up B they bu they obviously when they’re tackling I’m laughing and joking but that’s just my way of playing really if I if I am too serious it gets to me so yeah when I’m sort of laughing and
Joking that sort of works for me but I do have my moments I do have my moments England versus France coming up hope you impressed the coach this afternoon hopefully so I think there’s a fair few of us knocking on the door I mean um obviously you’ve got to my jooy Jack
Brown that was obviously there and Dean that were there in the England go for the World Cup and then there’s obviously guys obviously Josh Butler I think he’s one young player of the season for me he was my player in the season I thought he was phenomenal all all this season um
And there’s only limited amount of spots so hopefully but I’m not taking it for granted you I’ve just got to keep working and hopefully Tom makes that decision Phil Robert’s not here this afternoon but but but with me in some kind of spirit I’m guessing oh yeah 100%
Like obviously Phil started the season with us and we’ve made a few tweaks from his coaching but nothing might major it’s still it’s still all his ideas obviously Chris has come in and uh a few of the guys that even in our championship team now at training some
Of these guys have really energized us and you know it’s a real Club feel both across obviously our championship team and our Super League team unfortunately obviously the championship guys didn’t um get to the end in terms of the result they wanted today but a lot of them guys
Are pushing us like you know Nathan Roberts and Tom and Danny for me personally I feel threatened and that’s good because it’s all good competition what happens next you going to to go on an open top most to around wigg with the men’s I hope so yeah yeah it would be
Nice would it um I don’t know to guys again probably because we didn’t expect to be in this position we sort of not really got any plans but I’m sure we’ll find a way to enjoy it t that was not not a bad game this afternoon no can’t
Complain about that it’s a tough game we knew it was going to be a tough game there quality side great players stuck to process went through it and yeah went pretty well had a complain about that you led for so long and went behind Lon was there any worries at that points
None at all I’ll be honest I’ve genuinely never been so relaxed playing a game we we knew we were good enough to win we know all we had to do was stick to our protest and we get the ball back cuz I don’t think we touch the ball for
About 10 minutes get the ball back play again obviously they were the big favorites Jack mentioned that before he described it as a free hit this afternoon you know what that’s the way we looked at it we knew that there were some people speculating we wouldn’t even
Met the top four we knew we were massive underdogs so the game problem was literally come here enjoy it see what happens and we’re enjoying it now what’s the plan for for tonight for for going forward big celebrations going get Bru get to B backy work tomorrow um the men were obviously
Yesterday been a decent weekend for Wig yeah yeah I think uh we that was good last night so that was a very defensive game really enjoyed that obviously very different scores gone I don’t know what he finished but I knew it was quite High 5042 I think something like that oh I
Didn’t even realize it was that big I thought we were only like two points up yeah I didn’t it was a bit more of an attacking we knew it was going to be fre flowing we’re we’re more of an attacking side they’re a very good attacking side
So just back our attack and defend them when we can cuz we know like we said we’ve got some quality players you watch you won this final your championship team Reserve team really in their grand final miss out today but that’s got to be great for the future that you’ve had
Two teams in two finals and obviously picked up the big thr yeah I think um if you’d have offered us two finals at the start of the year I want to startat your hand off i’ took your old arm so certainly can’t complain about that just
Gives us so much to look forward to you know moving forward we we said when we came here today we’re favorites in neither we’re underdogs in both just play your game enjoy yourself and obviously six points off in the first one and won the second like you said
Good signs moving forward great crowd here this afternoon and hopefully a great crowd in a couple weeks time in leads for the the big rematch against France yeah yeah the crow was phenomenal it was so loud it was brilliant the atmosphere was amazing uh no idea about
A couple of weeks but I certainly hope it’s a loud one cuz it’s always better when there’s a crow always better it’s just good to feel people even against you coming from having 10 15 Spectators for years and years getting to places like this with so many people with or
Against it’s amazing it’s just can’t thank people for coming enough and how long are you going to take him until you watch this m going to get home straight put it on the T yeah probably I tried to do it last night but it hadn’t recorded
So I’ll do the same again today as suppose I just realized that Robert Small’s a result of the men’s Grand Final so sorry about that back to the Internationals and what a year it’s been for Tom Johnston and move to Catan Dragon saw he make his first Grand Final
And back in the England team as well we spoke to him after the second test against Tonga let’s start with something B what happened in the corner there do you have to relive that it’s uh it’s just one of the moments where you’ve got too much time I didn’t expect such a
Perfect kick from Mike and oh waiting for it waiting for it pops up nicely and then just just heard him coming over you know stop it it’s just it’s a shock of that it should be there I was you say you didn’t expect to keep up from M make him would
You no never but he absolutely nailed it and you know he he said that he he thought he completely expected me to score that so got hold me hand up there and say that that’s that’s One That Got Away there better stuff at the other end
A try saving tackle one you give help yeah just trying trying to do the job we we said about being competitive and Relentless and what we got to do is we we don’t want them to score and if someone makes a mistake you cover for
Him and that’s my job at the back the big boys do all the attacking in the middle and we cover the Back Field they did quite a good job the forward again this week in protecting you the back yeah 100% you know they’ve they’ve got some some top NRL middles and our
Fall we stood up stood up to him every step of the way if not got got over the top of them and set the platform for us to do our stuff third test next week in leads do you fancy chance he making a squad because obviously he’s got a lot
Of decision to make as the coach yeah it’s a great Squad um you know I hope I get to play I’d love to play in all three it’s it would really finish my year in the way that you know I’ve wored towards for the for the past 5 years
It’s all I’ve thought about so yeah I can only hope that have been enough it’s fair to say I’ve seen you some difficult teams at w field but to play at this level with Catan and England it’s been it’s not been a bad year yeah it’s it’s
It’s been an absolute dream you know surrounded by the players what I have um not no disrespect to anyone at w field but getting to play along the the side of You Know Jack wellby Catan Sam hunkins people like that they they’re the’re the best some of the best players
In the world and it it just makes you job a little bit easier has this helped you get over what happened in the Grand Final to be straight into camp with England it’s not the same I know you’re not comparing like we like but has it
Helped you get over yeah yeah I was actually talking about this the other day saying it were you know bit swallow but I had two days and I had to get on get in the car and get up here to to England for camp and you know it’s it’s just
Such a great group group to be around I’ve enjoyed every minute every week so it you know puts it down you mentioned last week I think think after the game how much here in the national anthem meant to you last week and that was the moment when you realized that that 5
Years had been worthwhile did you get that same feeling today yeah yeah it’s always it’s always passionate hearing the the national Anem seeing how much it means to everyone and hearing you you know your fellow player beside you singing I was stood next to Mike who was
A close friend so it it was it was very special but last week was was a pinnacle for me it just it was it wasn’t like yes I’ve done it but to be back here after all that time it was how do you approach next week bearing in
Mind that the series is won and that was the the first aame of this do you want to go out now and play a slightly different style of rugby maybe a bit more entertaining in terms of thrilling the crowd um no I think I think the job
Is just get it done get get the 3-0 that’s what we set out for at the start of the start of camp and uh that’s what we’re going to try and do again uh was like I said clinical Relentless that’s what we’re going to stick by that’s how
How England playing that’s how we’re going to do it and that’s how we’re going to Wi what happens when this series is finished how do you get some RNR are you off now until January or uh yeah I need to speak to to Catans about that but I
Think I’ll I’ll get a couple of quite a few weeks off um go away with my family I didn’t get a honeymoon last year after the wedding cuz I just went straight into training at Catan so go with my misses my son and just relax for a while
England women ended their year with victory over Wales on a big weekend in leads which saw them the men and wheelchair teams all In Action Now lacen of your is at the start of her International career while Wiggins Vicky molu is one of England’s ogs as the kids
Say and ended hers after the match thankfully not getting sent off in it a debut a try something all that I’m actually quite speech speechless I think I felt overwhelmed all week and being in the camp with really experienced um senior leaders and players it’s all of
Really what to do since I’ve been young so I’m really emotional but I’m really happy to be here so yeah C off a great 2023 you win the Grand Final in England store try yeah so we’ve had a great obviously we are Valk we’ve had a great
Season 2023 getting a call up Midway through the season to come and play for shu’s team um and hopefully I’ve done it justice today so talk us through the try not the hardest but he’s still going to score I’ll probably give the credit to Tara for that um but yeah you’ve still
Got to score it so a try as a try and I’ll take it howun is it having so many York players in the squad with you at International L yeah it makes you comfortable um it does it makes you really comfortable but everybody from everyday every team’s made me feel a
Part of this squad um but the art girls especially have like pushed me and said that I can be here today and I deserve it so so now you got your first cat how hard do you have to work to get your second and third and you know 30 odd
Like everyone on the top H to be like jod I’ve probably got to work even harder um I don’t know so it gets harder every time there’s always new people coming in the squad there’s a lot of potential in in every single Club so I don’t know I’ll just have keep working
Harder and work my way out f it to starting one day what’s the experience like the over the whole week not just playing the game but building up to it it’s been amazing honestly like I said the girls have been unreal um comfort in made me feel well coming a part of the
Squad and that’s probably why I’ve been able to perform today because they’ve made me feel like I belong here so sounds like you’re having a bit of a party in there now uh well we’ve got food we’ve got more food and music so yeah everybody’s happy um obviously the
Second half of the performance was the better half for us today so everybody is really buzzing really to get that second half win and the first half was great but we made improvements came out in the second half and executed was that because you came on it second I won’t
Say that definitely not me I think Stu gave us a bit of a kick at half time told us what needed to be done and like I said we’re executed so they’re a tough opposition well obviously they’re a lot further back in the line you know in
Their development but they gave you a tough opposition this afterno yeah they’ve got a lot of Rugby Union players um so they know how to play rugby they’re not sure of that maybe lacking a little bit of experience at rugby league but all all around they are really good
Rugby players and obviously we’re developing but they’re also developing so over time they’ll be as as good as us and but it’ll be more tough competition going forward so yeah C and wet love the conditions you must can’t wait for the summer can you already yeah I can’t wait
For the summer I’d rather be training in my vest not in two laser skins so yeah age is a number it’s not a number it’s a number but but I’m listening to this music you don’t been involved in all that yeah to be honest I like it after the game
You know before the game I am a little bit I’m quite quiet um and I like to just really focus on my own job and and you know what I need to do so I sort of keep myself to myself and keep trying ignore that and get in the zone but it
Is age is just a number but I don’t feel 35 so you feel you’re leaving the game in a better place than when you started 100% yeah and you just look at the the quality coming through um and that’s all you you need to look at you know L steps
On the field I think it might have been a second touch of the ball and she scores a try and it’s exciting and the this squad you know with additions maybe Cuts next year what who knows but this squad with that culture and that EOS in
That changing room there will be a World Cup winning Squad and as du and the back room staff and are doing a fantastic job with that you men you stay involved with wig do you want to stay involved as a coach is any other um to be honest you
Know I’ve I’ve got an eight-year-old daughter and you know to play at this standard requires a lot of commitment and a lot of time you know I haven’t seen her since Wednesday up until when she was in the Dan then so who knows what it’ll bring you know I’ve got a
Really good um job in a secondary school in Rochdale I’m head of PE there and I coach the girls at Rochdale Mayfield I’ve set up um the girls pathway there as well so I’ve got a lot going on behind the scenes you know if an opportunity rise in the near F in the
Future who knows but I’m just enjoying what I’m doing and I’m going to enjoy this moment today and and not look too far ahead why are there so many teachers in involved in I don’t know maybe it’s just our character I I really don’t know to be honest
Um I just think yeah I just think when I was at you know at school growing up and I was always really good at PE good at science um I knew I wanted to be involved in sport and then I just went into teaching and and that’s sort of the
Pathway for me and I love it I love my job didn’t expect coming in that wig an interesting change of Coach yeah it’s exciting you know Chris Ratcliffe has done a lot for the the the women’s game at um at Wigan who’s just stepped down
And you know I owe a lot to him you know he’s helped shape me as a person and and a player and he’s he’s fantastic and like I said you know I’m really grateful for what he’s brought obviously Dennis bets is exciting I’ve only met him once
Um but you can only look at it as a positive thing you know full-time coach at Wigan is what where the game’s going now you know you look at the the top sides who are in those finals and winning those finals and that’s what they’ve got behind the scenes so we
Going are doing a great job getting that infrastructure right um supporting the girls in medical care and and everything you know the just little things like helping recovery and it’s important for us because we do juggle motherhood full-time jobs uni college and so on so I think they’re doing a fantastic job in
Getting those bits right and and Dennis bet what a legend of the game you know former Man of Steel he’s got a really you know Accolade in his coaching not just his playing career so yeah I’m really excited to work with him I mean I’m assuming because I don’t know is he
In the we can hold the film because I know you AR I don’t know to be honest but yes I am which is fantastic um I’m not sure if he is to be honest I’ll have to have a look at that but I don’t think
You know even without a Hall of Fame if he is or if he isn’t I don’t think it’s just his stature his his accreditation his accolades they just speak for themselves so they with Den so yeah no one expects anything like that but when did you find out and what was what was
That like being inducted into the hall I had didn’t have a clue um I got invited to the the Galla dinner for Wigan um we’ve got our women’s presentation next week um and then the captain she she got up and she started saying on the the words that she said about me was
Unbelievable and thankfully my sisters recorded it she knew I didn’t so I just thought obviously I thought why are they talking about me and obviously she’s on stage I thought maybe I’m getting like a a women’s Player of the Year and when she said would’ like to induct you into
The Hall of Fame honestly my jaw dropped and I just couldn’t believe it and and I don’t I don’t get nervous really speaking in front of people but I wish sh I was like shaking there to just take myself um for a moment and I just could
Not believe it but what an honor and and I hope it’s it’s quite overwhelming in such such a way because you get given this whole Fame and it’s kind of giving you a little bit of status and you want to do that Justice um so I owe a lot to
Wigan um they supporting me all the way and and want a club to be involved in and and I really do think it’s you know just doing that you know putting me in the hall the inducting me into H the fame really shows where they are as a
Club so it’s it’s not a list of nonsense Billy Boston Shan a lot clear it’s like wow um so yeah I kind of don’t feel like I deserve it you know I don’t I think you do and I think you know that it’s important for me to go around again
With Wigan next year I want to get to a final I want to win a final um I said last year we were in I think it was a league game and how is it quar fin I can’t remember but um we are closing the
Gap to those top sides but I’m sick of closing the Gap I want to win I want to beat those top sides so I feel like hopefully I can contribute to to maybe helping you know Dennis and the team to to get us uh obviously my bit is on the
Pitch and and I leave them all do all the the complicated stuff and on the planning and for that so I give it a go give it my all and let’s see if we can get there Che too sorry I was say one last last obviously you’ve got a family connection to Wi
And you all have known in inside out I imagine some of the younger girls in the squad probably probably don’t really know that much about it when a few said it was Dennis bet like who and you do get that you know you’ve got a lot of young girls in
Particular that they haven’t had that rubby background they’re just athletes you know and they love Sport and they’re come to the game quite late so you know there’s only people dinosaurs like me and my dad played for Wigan and you know just grew up sort of in and around that
Rugby culture and watching Wigan on TV so um going to games so obviously I knew who it was um so yeah so the younger girls I’m like are you kidding you do not know who he is but they genuinely some of them didn’t so but I’m sure after that first training session they
Will right we start started with Liam foul and will end with him as his Wigan side made history at Old Trafford Liam how proud of you of the team to be the first team in the Grand Final not to concede a try is that I didn’t know that before to go back and
Check look we’ve we’ve we’ve built our game all year on being defensively really good um and only think the last couple of months we’ve actually started to see the good parts of it and to do what the Grand Final you just said that is probably a big a big achievement it’s
Just a big achievement for us um and it just shows what we built our game and we set a goal early in the year to be the best defensive team in the comp we’ve achieved it um and yeah just really proud of the lad’s effort um defense is
Not just um tactical stuff it’s more down to your desire and your will to defend and we’ve shown a lot of that tonight thanks for your supporting 2023 and hopefully that continues into 2024 having started this project at radio yor in 2014 we don’t feel like throwing in the towel just Yet what we’ve got to think about is being able to invest and work towards that potential so there’s always the argument that you’ve probably got to invest and put the value in earlier than when you’re getting those returns um but it has to be done in a sensible considered
Way oh is that real attention please attention please this is an emergency only the bloopers building by the nearest available EX