Leeds Rhinos v Castleford Tigers: Danika Priim gets her Grand Final chance at last

The England front-rower will be a key part of Rhinos’ engine room when they square up to Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Women’s Super League showpiece at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.

Priim has been on the books of a team in each of the women’s game’s last five major finals, but only played in one – Rhinos’

16-10 Coral Challenge Cup victory against Tigers three months ago.

She was at Bradford Bulls in 2017, but injury kept her out of the Challenge Cup showpiece and she was asked not to play in the Grand Final, to ensure she was fully fit for England duty in that autumn’s World Cup.

Having moved to Leeds, Priim suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury early last season and had to sit out both the Cup final win over Castleford and Rhinos’ defeat by Wigan Warriors in the title decider.

“Like the Challenge Cup, it is third time lucky for me,” Priim confirmed of tonight’s game.

“For two years now I’ve watched two finals, so it’s going to be good to get out there and play in one.

“On a personal level I have come back from a very big injury, I’ve played most of the season now and been in the Challenge Cup final and we fought hard last Sunday and made it into the Grand Final.

“Personally, I didn’t know if we’d take the win or not and I was quite happy with how the season had gone, but this is definitely the icing on the cake.

“Regardless of the result, I’ve made another final and come back, so [it has been] really good.”

Rhinos finished third in the table, five points behind Tigers and four adrift of Saints who they beat in last weekend’s semi-final.

Leeds trailed 14-0, but clawed themselves level before Abby Eatock’s second try of the game – in stoppage-time – sealed an 18-14 success.

Priim reckons Rhinos will need to show similar character over the Pennines tonight against their neighbours.

“Saints had us in their back pocket,” she recalled. “They were leading the charge and had all the possession.

“A few silly errors and penalties from us kept costing us field position, but we had a good chat at half-time. Sometimes I think going in down at half-time works in our favour.

“Cuthbo and Courtney [coach Adam Cuthbertson and captain Courtney Hill] are very level-headed, they just said skilfully, when we had the ball, we had the upper hand and with our fitness levels we probably could drag it out.

“It did take until the last couple of minutes to get there, but, thanks to the way we are coached and how composed they are, we had that constant belief that we really could pull it back.”

Tigers have been this season’s most consistent side and Priim insisted Rhinos are under “no illusions” about how tough tonight’s game will be.

“They are the best team in the league so far and they aren’t going to want to lose another final to us,” she warned. “That is going to be their main focus.

“You can’t deny how good they are or how strong they’ve been and it’s across the park, it’s not one or two players, it’s their squad as a whole. But to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.

“We know defensively we are the strongest team in the league and – if we have to defend for a lot of it and get one or two breaks – we are going to put our bodies on the line. It’s the last game of the season, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Rhinos are without forward Shannon Lacey who has a head injury, also ruling her out of England’s World Nines squad which flies to Australia tomorrow.

Rhinos’ academy captain Paige Webster, an East Leeds player, has been drafted into the squad.

Leeds Rhinos: from Beevers, Booth, Laverick, Butcher, Hill, Priim, Anderson, Staveley, Johnson, Gaines, Nuttall, Kerrigan, Frain, Oldroyd, Goldthorp, Bennett, Webster, Halloran, Eatock.

Referee: Greg Dolan (Batley).

Kick-off: Today, 7.45pm.

At: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens.