🤝 York RLFC Match Reports are proudly partnered by Drive Taxis!
York Valkyrie ensured an unbeaten record in the 2023 Betfred Women's Super League regular season after thrashing Huddersfield Giants 60-4 at the LNER Community Stadium.
Carrie Roberts bagged a hat-trick while Georgie Hetherington and Sade Rihari both finished with braces as the Valkyrie romped to a ninth win from 10 regular season league matches, drawing the other fixture.
Jas Bell, Rhiannion Marshall, Tara Jane Stanley and Savannah Andrade also crossed the whitewash for York, who got their hands on an historic second successive League Leaders' Shield title after full-time.
Lindsay Anfield's side raced out of the blocks, scoring inside two minutes through Hetherington, who profited from Stanley's spin out of the tackle and offload.
Bell doubled the lead after crashing over from Sinead Peach's short ball before Stanley converted, her first of seven goals.
Hetherington grabbed her second try when finishing Stanley's cut-out pass before Rihari got on the scoresheet, cutting through down the right edge.
Impact interchange Marshall then finished off a Liv Gale grubber and prior to the half-hour, Roberts claimed her first of the afternoon, touching down after a Stanley break.
Two late first-half drop-goals from Stanley left the hosts 32-0 ahead at the break.
Huddersfield did however strike first in the second period when Amelia Brown dotted down in the right corner after York conceded a scrum and six-again in their own 20.
But normal service quickly resumed. Stanley's dancing feet took her over the line before Andrade showed equally neat footwork to ground under the sticks.
Roberts then completed her treble in the space of five minutes, capitalising on scrum set play before profiting from a Hetherington inside offload.
Rihari claimed the contest's final try by ghosting through the Huddersfield line from 20m out.
There was still time for late drama as Brown was sent off for a reckless tackle on Hetherington in the game's last play.
York: Stanley, Kershaw, Renouf, Roberts, Hetherington, Rihari, Gale, Akpa, Peach, Sharp, Andrade, Wood, Bell
Subs: (all used): Staveley, Marshall, Hyde, Sanderson
Tries: Hetherington (2’, 15'), Bell (12’), Rihari (20’, 77’), Marshall (23’), Stanley (47’), Roberts (29', 64’, 69’), Andrade (53’)
Goals: Stanley (7/11)
Drop-Goals: Stanley (33', 35')
Huddersfield: Curley, Coates, Preston, Arrowsmith, Brown, Townend, Grady, Armstrong, Millward, Wilkinson, Thompson, Naidole, Fisher
Subs: (all used): Morgan, Barker, Simister, Da Silva
Tries: Brown (46’)
Goals: Thompson (0/1)
Red card: Brown (80')
Geoff Pryce Player of the Match in partnership with Isaac Poad Brewing: Tara Jane Stanley
