Sunday 1 June 2025

Betfred Women’s Super League Round 3

Laund Hill (2pm)

Huddersfield Giants 32-6 Leigh Leopards

Leopards’ flying start to their Betfred Super League season was given a reality check on the 4G surface at Laund Hill as Giants superstar Amelia Brown virtually beat them on her own.

England international Brown is an incredibly talented performer who scored five tries against Leopards in the Challenge Cup last year in a similar one-woman destruction act.

This time the fleet footed, and elegant fullback had to be content with four tries as Leopards lost for the first time in three games.

Brown has pace, awareness and elusiveness and her ability knowing when to and where to join the attack makes her one of the women’s games stand-out players.

Her two early tries put the Giants in control of an error ridden encounter in chilly and wet conditions at Laund Hill. The second was a magnificent individual effort that began near her own line.

Brown completed her hat-trick on the half hour mark and applied the coup de grace with another length-of-the-field spectacular in the second half.

Though Leopards competed spiritedly they never gave themselves a chance due to a poor completion rate.

They did pull back to 14-6 at half-time when Charlotte Melvin scored a converted try but Brown’s solo try set up Giants for a dominant finish as they added three further tries in the closing stages.

Realistically the women’s game is currently split at the elite level with four top teams in York, Saints, Wigan and Leeds, then four teams making up the rest.

Giants, the best of the rest, were one team Leopards had realistic hopes of defeating but instead they were left to reflect on falling below their own high standards- and the brilliance of Brown.

Giants

Amelia Brown; Faye Barraclough, Lois Naidole, Fran Copley, Mollie Iceton; Becky Grady, Sam Hulme; Gracie Hobbs, Megan Preston, Jess Harrap, Amy Bennett, Maddy Hutchinson, Bethan Oates.

Bench:

Grace Burnett, Millie Taylor, Ellie Thompson, Lauren Exley

Tries:

Brown (5, 9, 30, 56), Iceton (68), Naidole (72), Thompson (76)

Goals:

Hulme 2/ 7

Yellow card:

Naidole (45)

Leopards

Hattie Dogus; Toryn Blackwood, Mackenzie Taylor, Gabi Leigh, Abi Johnston; Amy Taylor, Leah Morris; Eleanor Dainty, Rhianna Burke, Alice Fisher, Storm Cobain, Charlotte Melvin, Emily Baggaley

Bench:

Kate Howard, Sam Brazier, Lucy Johnson, Claire Mullaney

Try:

Melvin (39)

Goals:

Melvin 1/ 1

Scoring sequence: 4-0, 8-0, 14-0, 14-6 (ht) 18-6, 22-6, 26-6, 32-6

Referee: A Sweet; Touch-judges: P Clayton & L Hagues