Women’s Super League: Leeds Rhinos’ Murray expecting tough test at York City Knights

The game, Rhinos’ second in the top-five play-offs, will be staged at York’s new stadium (5pm), after the men’s Championship clash between the hosts and Bradford Bulls.

Leeds crushed City Knights 68-16 in their opening match this year but, since then, the North Yorkshire outfit have been transformed by the addition of some top players from Castleford Tigers – including Sinead Peach who played a part in the start of Rhinos forward Lucy Murray’s playing career.

“I was originally at Castleford,” Murray explained.

“I went to Castleford because Sinead Peach used to be my coach at Hunslet Warriors and her mum knew my mum.

“I wasn’t old enough to play for them and, on my 16th birthday, Lois [Forsell, now Rhinos’ coach] rang me and asked if I’d fancy coming to trial for the under-19s.

“I thought why not give it a go, because I knew Lois anyway through school and I knew quite a few of the Leeds girls.

“I went and trialled there and just loved it, it was such a team feeling. You had that sense of being welcome and it was something you wanted to be part of.

“I was there in the 19s for nearly two seasons and then got called up for the first team.”

Murray expects tomorrow’s York side to be “a lot different” to the one Leeds beat in April.

“We are well aware it’s not going to be a walk-over; both teams are going to want to give it their all because it’s an important time in the season,” she said.

“We will be going in full steam ahead, ready to go.”

Murray insisted: “We have trained so hard for times like this, when we need to step up.

“We will do it as a team, that’s what Leeds are good at, pulling together.”

That will be crucial in a year disrupted by Covid, Murray reckons.

She added: “In seasons like this I think the teams that will come out on top are the ones that can adapt and come together as a team.”