Leeds Rhinos star backs new Women’s Super League format to be success

Priim has also welcomed news this year’s Grand Final will be staged at Emerald Headingley on the day after the men’s Super League decider at Old Trafford.

Rhinos open their title defence at home to Bradford Bulls on Sunday, March 29.

Last year’s table-toppers Castleford Tigers, who were beaten by Leeds in the Challenge Cup showpiece and Grand Final, begin with a game at 2019 league runners-up St Helens.

Featherstone Rovers will have home advantage in a round one West Yorkshire derby against Wakefield Trinity.

Under a revamped format, the competition - increased to 10 clubs following the addition of Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves - will split after nine rounds, in mid-July, when every team has played all its rivals once.

The top-four will face each other home and away, with the leading pair after the six additional rounds going straight through to the Grand Final.

The bottom six after nine rounds will contest the Betfred Women’s Super League Shield, playing each other once before semi-finals and a final at Headingley as a curtain-raiser to the title decider on Sunday, October 11.

Points from before the split will carry over into both the play-offs and Shield.

The change - from a home and away system, followed by top-four play-off semi-finals - is designed to produce more competitive matches, particularly late in the season.

In past seasons a gap in class between the top teams and the rest has led to some one-sided scorelines.

Of the new system, Priim said: “It helps the top half of the table push on for international spots and I think it will probably help develop the lower teams as well.

“It means they aren’t going to get nilled every week and there’s something there for them to win when it breaks off for the second half of the season.”

It will also ensure some intense matches for the leading sides, Priim believes.

She added: “It will be all to play for with the top-two going through to the Grand Final and no play-offs.

“Every game, every minute and every point matters.”

Headingley was originally due to host the 2019 Grand Final on the day after the men’s Super League title showdown, but the game was moved forward two days and switched to St Helens due to England’s involvement in the World Cup Nines in Sydney.

“Headingley is a fantastic stadium,” Priim said.

“There’s no better place to hold the Grand Final and hopefully we can make it all the way and get to play there.”

Rhinos begun pre-season training last week, including an early-morning session on the hills at Roundhay Park yesterday.

Priim said the target for 2020 is to complete a clean-sweep, after last year’s double.

“The girls are looking really strong, we are hitting the fitness hard and we’re hoping for more success,” Priim said.

Rhinos women are guaranteed at least one fixture at Headingley this year.

They will use three home venues for their league matches, one game each being played at Headingley - against Featherstone as a curtain-raiser to the men’s fixture against Salford Red Devils on Friday, May 1 - and the club’s Kirkstall training base and the rest at Sports Park Weetwood.

Tigers will play home games at the Jungle, Rovers at LD Nutrition Stadium and Trinity at Mobile Rocket Stadium.

The Coral Women’s Challenge Cup final will be played at University of Bolton Stadium on June 6, as a curtain-raiser to the two men’s semi-finals.

It will be the second Challenge Cup triple-header following Leeds’ shock win over Castleford on the same ground last July.