Hornby hoping to lift second Grand Final crown with Rhinos

The Betfred Women’s Super League reaches its conclusion on Sunday afternoon as Leeds Rhinos and York Valkyrie battle it out for the chance to get their hands on the Grand Final trophy, live on Sky Sports.

The matchup is a repeat of the 2022 Final, which saw the Rhinos come out on top 12-4, and is also Leeds’ fifth consecutive Grand Final appearance (excluding 2020 when the Women’s season was called off due to Covid) as head coach Lois Forsell looks to become the first coach to win back to back league titles in the Women’s Super League era.

Rhinos prop Zoe Hornby is one of the twelve players in the Leeds team who has experienced both the highs and lows of Grand Final day when she was a finalist in 2021 before lifting the trophy a year later. Now heading into her third Grand Final with the club, she believes that the side are close to their best ahead of a tough York test. “I'm really excited for another Grand Final,” she said. “I've been lucky enough to be involved in the three previous Grand Finals and I think the nerves side of it is more contained, as I know what to expect on the day and the build-up. We’ve got a good mix of experience and new players in our squad and I think having those players involved in their first Grand Final will add something fresh.

“Over the last two weeks, we've had the time to come together. We had an extra training session, which I think is very useful, and we managed to do a bit of review as well, so I think we're pretty comfortable going into the weekend.”

Coming together and preparing as a group is embedded in the culture of head coach Forsell’s team, but in the case of Hornby and her team mates Sam Hulme, Orla McCallion and Izzy Northrop, teamwork extends beyond more than training as the quartet carpool together from the North East to train with the rest of the squad twice a week.

“I think we'd be in a totally different position if we didn't have each other to go down with it; in some cases it might not even be doable!” she revealed. “Having that support network between each other has been absolutely the main reason why we're still going. We keep each other going and motivated. Obviously after games we go through all the highs and lows together, so it's really special to have that connection between us and it makes our journey a little bit different to everyone else's. Plus the whole team are a family and we all enjoy each other's company, from the playing squad to the girls in rehab room too.”

Not only will Hornby’s family be making the trip down the A19 on Sunday to show their support in one of the biggest games of the season, but the forward will also have college players that she coaches as part of her day job as a development officer at Newcastle Falcons cheering her on at the LNER Community Stadium. Hornby says that it's exciting to have her students coming to show their support and that she has noticed a growing interest in Rugby League.

“Just speaking about it to people where I live, I think people have started to have a bit more of an idea of the game and what it's about," she added. "Obviously being from Newcastle it is predominantly a Rugby Union area but I can definitely see a change in the right direction. It's going slowly but I think the World Cup helped the growth of the game massively last year.”

Having featured as part of Craig Richards’ England side during last Autumn’s World Cup, Hornby played alongside a number of players who will run out in York colours on Sunday. Lindsay Anfield’s side is headlined by Woman of Steel nominees Sinead Peach and reigning winner Tara-Jane Stanley, and with a win and draw against the Rhinos so far this season, the team in blue and amber won’t be taking the Valkyrie challenge lightly.

“We'll have to watch out for the big runners like Jas Bell and Rhiannon Marshall,” said Hornby. “They've definitely got a few players we need to watch out for, including Tara Stanley.  York have had some good runs this season and they always bring out a battle for us. It's always a physical against them  in the middle, but we're more than prepared for that and we're ready to bring just as much physicality as them. As a forward, these are the games we want to play, especially when it’s against players like York have.”