Women’s Promotion grand final
Sunday 6 October 2024 (2:00pm)
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Featherstone Rovers 16-34 Leigh Leopards
Leopards’ dreams of Super League came true on an emotional afternoon at St Helens as Kieron Purtill’s extraordinary team jumped through the one final hoop that was barring them from joining the elite.
What a season the Leopards have enjoyed and what an extraordinary series of challenges this tight knit group have overcome.
Championship North league leaders: Played 16, Won 16.
Championship North play-off semi-final and grand final: both won
Championship grand final: won
Nineteen games, all won and yet still Leopards had to defeat Featherstone Rovers, the bottom placed team in Super League, in a winner-takes-all clash for the eighth and final Super League place in 2025.
Rovers had been promoted directly as Champions of the Championship last year but had struggled in the top-flight, losing every game. They still, however, posed a significant challenge, especially as they’d been preparing for this one-off game for some weeks.
Leopards produced arguably their best display of the season, rising to the occasion and dispelling any tension with a blistering start.
Gabi Leigh, recalled at centre with Charlotte Melvin reverting to the second row, finished off an expansive move for a third-minute try, Rhianna Burke with the vital assist..
As Leopards continued to dominate the fleet-footed Hattie Dogus showed superb footwork and dodged over for her 26th try of a memorable personal campaign. With Melvin adding both goals, Leopards had a 12-0 lead before Rovers got into their stride.
Tireless tackling, work-rate and team spirit restricted the dangerous Rovers pack valuable distance and with Leah Morris and Burke making a telling combination at halfback Leopards continued in the ascendancy.
Mollie Young cut over for the third try to confirm her excellent run of form and assuage the disappointment of missing out on the Ireland squad that travels to Greece next weekend for a World Cup qualifier.
Ireland must be blessed with two good centres who’ve prevented her joining teammates Mairead Quinn and Storm Cobain in the international team.
Claire Mullaney made a superb contribution off the bench either side of half-time and Cobain, feeding off Morris’s sublime assist, bravely scythed over from inside the 20-metre area for a fourth try as Leopards went in 22-0 ahead at the break.
Rovers came out fired up but Becky Greenfield, such a valuable late acquisition to the ranks, extended the advantage with the first score of the second half. Her clinical finish in the corner came courtesy of another brilliant Morris assist, this time a floated cut-out pass.
Rovers’ revival came off the back of their first spell of sustained good ball. Dogus’s magnificent last ditch tackle on Alyssa Courtney was to no avail as Brogan Churm-Mellor scored in the same set.
Four minutes later Courtney plunged over from dummy half and two Tally Bryer conversions hauled Rovers back to 12-26.
The next try was crucial and thankfully for the Leopards it came from Toryn Blackwood, a great finish in the right corner from Claire Collins’ superb offload after a last tackle move.
Chloe Billington scored Rovers’ third try in the corner, but the clock was by now fast running down.
Fittingly, Leopards scored the final try, Young bagging her second by the flag from another quality Morris assist to confirm a great team performance.
Mairead Quinn was handed the trophy as the team and staff celebrated on the beautifully manicured pitch, with spectacular fireworks providing a suitable backdrop.
Leah Morris was deservedly chosen as Player of the match after a week in which she celebrated her 21stbirthday and came of age with a stellar halfback performance of which to be proud
After the devastation of last season’s promotion grand final defeat against Barrow Raiders at York, Leopards came back even stronger and more determined.
Their achievement cannot be overemphasized and makes Leigh Leopards one of only six clubs with two Super League teams
Rovers
1 Dani Walters; 2 Ellie Lamb, 13 Chloe Billington, 3 Fran Copley, 22 Natalie Carr; 6 Tally Bryer, 7 Olivia Grace; 10 Gabrielle Harrison, 9 Charley Blackburn, 20 Brogan Kennedy, 11 Hannah Watt, 26 Katie Evans, 10 Brogan Churm-Mellor
Bench:
4 Ella Johnson, 18 Alyssa Courtney, 31 Emillie Holmes, 28 Shavon Craven. 18th player (not used): 19 Ashlea Prescott
Tries:
Churm-Mellor (58), Courtney (62), Billington (72)
Goals:
Bryer 2/ 3
Leopards
Hattie Dogus; 2 Toryn Blackwood, 4 Gabi Leigh, 22 Mollie Young, 32 Becky Greenfield; 6 Rhianna Burke, 7 Leah Morris; 20 Eleanor Dainty, 9 Kate Howard, 10 Mairead Quinn (capt), 12 Charlotte Melvin, 16 Storm Cobain, 18 Grace Hill
Bench:
34 Lucy Johnson, 13 Claire Collins, 17 Clare Mullaney, 8 Keira McCosh. 18th player (not used): 33 Kim Seddon
Tries:
Leigh (3), Dogus (15), Young (24, 75), Cobain (34), Greenfield (50), Blackwood (66)
Goals:
Melvin 3/ 7
Attendance: 4,830
Referee: Luke Bland
Scoring sequence: 0-6, 0-12, 0-16, 0-22 (ht) 0-26, 6-26, 12-26, 12-30, 16-30, 16-34
Penalty count: 5-0
GLDO: 0-0
Player of the Match: Leah Morris
