Women’s Championship grand final
Sunday 29 September 2024 (2:30pm)
The Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
Leigh Leopards 22-18 London Broncos
Leopards are just 80 minutes away from taking their place in the Betfred Women’s Super League for 2025 after a thrilling and dramatic victory in the Championship grand final.
Claire Mullaney emerged as the Leopards’ heroine with the match-winning try just two minutes from the end of a wonderful game that showcased the skills of the two best teams outside the eight-team elite division.
Leopards now play Featherstone Rovers at the Totally Wicked Stadium next Sunday in the curtain-raiser to the Women’s Super League grand final.
Rovers, last season’s Championship winners, finished bottom of the Super League this season and are fighting to retain their hard-won place.
Kieron Purtill’s Leopards team has thrilled supporters all season in a 17-match unbeaten Championship campaign, but the Broncos gave them by far their toughest task yet.
Instead of the brilliant attacking play that has underpinned the Leopards’ points hungry season so far, they relied on tenacity, resolve, and an indomitable team spirit to emerge with the vital spoils on the big stage at the Alexander Stadium.
Broncos looked very impressive in the opening quarter, dominating possession and displaying power, skill and athleticism.
Rebecca Smart’s third minute try in the right corner and Polly Roberts’ individual effort from dummy half gave Broncos an 8-0 lead that had the alarm bells ringing for the Leopards supporters.
Not for nothing have Leopards trained since last autumn for the right to play in a game as big as this, and they dug deep to weather the storm and fight back.
Fullback Hattie Dogus sparked the revival with an opportunist try after Toryn Blackwood’s offload on the last tackle came off a Broncos player. It was her 25th try of the season.
Dogus’s work rate, bravery and elusive broken-field running inspired her side and she went on to be a deserved Player of the Match.
Eleanor Dainty and Mullaney’s arrival from the bench had done much to earn Leopards valuable go-forward down the middle and help turn the tide.
Two minutes from the break, Dainty powered over from short range for the equalising try, Charlotte Melvin’s conversion agonisingly rebounding off the post.
In between those tries the Leopards’ defence somehow combined to stop Kathryn Salter grounding the ball over the line after the Broncos’ no13 had looked all ends up a scorer.
Leopards had done well to restore parity and with the advantage of a strong wind were determined to carry on that impetus as the second half began.
But it was the Broncos that regained the lead, Netherlands international Nicole Kennedy snaffling an interception near halfway and racing away despite Kate Howard’s valiant chase. Salter converted for a 14-8 lead.
Leopards’ response was almost immediate after Melvin’s long restart kick forced a goal line drop-out.
In the aftermath Leah Morris’s superb short ball unlocked the close-range Broncos defence for Mollie Young to finish clinically.
Melvin converted to tie the scores and midway through the half gave Leopards the lead for the first time in a gripping and tense contest. Her sweetly struck 23-metre penalty made it 16-14.
There it stayed until just ten minutes from the end when Jasmine Rampton’s outstanding, weaving run past a clutch of defenders had Broncos back in the ascendancy. Though Salter was unable to convert, the Broncos had a two-point lead.
But this Leopards side doesn’t know when it’s beaten and Mullaney came up trumps with the winning try.
After desperate Leopards’ pressure on the Broncos line she somehow forced her way over despite a wall of defenders, brilliantly stretching out and turning in the tackles to plant the ball firmly down.
Melvin converted for her 100th goal of a magnificent personal campaign.
Broncos staged one desperate last rally before time ran out on their gallant effort. A superb grand final had been decided by the narrowest of margins and Leopards’ dream of Super League continued.
Leopards’ captain Mairead Quinn stepped up to receive the trophy and all the players received medals before the celebrations began.
Fittingly, Keli Morris who suffered a broken tibula and fibula in last week’s Northern Championship grand final was on hand to bang the drum for the joyous victory song.
Leopards
Hattie Dogus; 2 Toryn Blackwood, 12 Charlotte Melvin, 22 Mollie Young, 32 Becky Greenfield; 6 Rhianna Burke, 7 Leah Morris; 8 Keira McCosh, 9 Kate Howard, 10 Mairead Quinn (capt), 3 Claire Collins, 16 Storm Cobain, 18 Grace Hill
Bench:
34 Lucy Johnson, 20 Eleanor Dainty, 33 Kim Seddon, 17 Clare Mullaney
Tries:
Dogus (32), Dainty (38), Young (48), Mullaney (78)
Goals:
Melvin 3/ 5
Broncos
1 Lauren Mueller; 5 Rebecca Smart, 3 Nicole Kennedy, 4 Katie Wallis, 2 Emily Bell; 6 Jemma King, 7 Coutney Treco (capt); 8 Eleanor Hunt-Pain, 9 Polly Roberts, 10 Emily Hughes, 11 Ellie Taylor, 12 Jasmine Rampton, 13 Kathryn Salter
Bench:
14 Ioane McCusker, 15 Rebecca Kemball, 20 Chloe Allcorn, 18 Siobhan Longdon-Hughes
Tries: Smart (3), Roberts (16), Kennedy (45), Rampton (70)
Goals:
Salter 1/ 4
Referee: Adam Williams; Touch judges: L O’Brien & I Arnold
Scoring sequence: 0-4, 0-8, 4-8, 8-8 (ht) 8-14, 14-14, 16-14, 16-18, 22-18
Penalty count: 6-7
GLDO: 2-1
Player of the Match: Hattie Dogus
