Betts, Rowe and Hunter nominated at Betfred Women’s Super League awards

[josie andrews]

* Head Coach Denis Betts up for Coach of the Year.

* Rowe and Hunter nominated for Young Player of the Year.

* Winners to be announced at the Betfred Super League Awards.

WIGAN WARRIORS HAVE A TRIO OF NAMED NOMINATED FOR THE BETFRED WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE AWARDS WITH HEAD COACH DENIS BETTS NOMINATED FOR COACH OF THE YEAR WITH ISABEL ROWE AND EVA HUNTER NOMINATED FOR YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

There will be a new name on the Woman of Steel trophy this year with three players who have never won the most prestigious individual honour in Women’s Rugby League shortlisted for 2024:

Faye Gaskin, St Helens.
Georgie Hetherington, York Valkyrie.
Lucy Murray, Leeds Rhinos.

Shortlists have also been confirmed today for Coach of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

Amanda Wilkinson of Barrow Raiders and Wigan Warriors Denis Betts have both been shortlisted for Coach of the Year. Both coaches have reinvigorated their teams in 2024 with Barrow ending their first season in the top flight in fifth and Wigan squeezing the gap to the top three to just four points alongside lifting the Women’s Nines trophy.

The third contender is Matty Smith, a former men’s Grand Final and Challenge Cup winner as a player with Wigan, who has steered them to back-to-back victories in the Women’s Challenge Cup Final at Wembley as well as lifting the 2024 League Leaders Shield.

Criteria for the BWSL Young Player of the Year are slightly different to the men’s equivalent, as only players who were 19 and younger at the start of 2024 are considered, recognising the younger average age of players in the Women’s game.

The three contenders are Wigan duo Isabel Rowe and Eva Hunter and Leeds middle Bella Sykes.

17-year-old Rowe has burst onto the scene for the Warriors after being promoted from the Academy ahead of the 2024 season by Denis Betts. She has featured in all 19 games for Wigan this season, scoring 13 tries in all competitions and kicking 40 goals to see her surpass 130-points in her opening season.

Eva Hunter is also shortlisted for the award after an exceptional season for the Warriors. Despite missing some of the season through injury, she has made 10 appearances in all competitions, crossing for 8 tries.

The Woman of Steel voting panel consists of Women’s Rugby League experts Tanya Arnold, Jenna Brooks, Lorraine Marsden and Danika Priim joined by the England Women Head Coach Stuart Barrow, and BWSL General Manager Thomas Brindle.

The Coach of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards are determined by a separate panel of performance experts led by Stuart Barrow.

The 2024 Woman of Steel will be crowned at Rugby League’s biggest and most inclusive Awards Night at the Royal Armouries, Leeds on Tuesday 8 October – two days after the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final.

https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/09/ ... ue-awards/

[josie andrews]

Grace Banks on the positive impact of Denis Betts, back to basics approach and England aspirations

Wigan Warriors Women’s full-back Grace Banks believes Denis Betts’ ‘core skills’ approach has played a major influence in the side’s growth in 2024, hailing the legend amid his debut season in charge.

Wigan will face rivals St Helens in the Women’s Super League semi-finals on Sunday, September 22, 7:30pm, at the Totally Wicked Stadium, with Leeds Rhinos to take on York Valkyrie.

Matty Smith’s Saints finished the regular season in style with a dominant 68-0 win over Barrow Raiders before lifting the League Leaders’ Shield, while the Warriors finished the regular campaign in fourth spot under Betts.

In his first season in charge of the outfit - his first role in the women’s game - Betts also led Wigan to the Women’s Nines trophy earlier this year, the side’s first title since winning the Super League campaign in 2018.

The 55-year-old has also been shortlisted for coach of the year, alongside Barrow’s Amanda Wilkinson and ex-Wigan half-back Smith.

“It’s been very different, but honestly in a good way,” Banks said, reflecting on the side’s first season under the former back-rower.

“I think everyone can tell how he’s changed our team by just looking at how we’ve played this season, and beating one of the top three teams, that was one of our aims, as it’s always been Leeds, York and Saints up there.

“We beat York and it showed how much we’ve progressed this season.

“He has focussed a lot on core skills. Once we get that right, we can work on everything else.

“He’s worked on such simple skills, we’re now progressing even more with the advanced skills. He’s very understanding as well of us being women, different emotions for example, he’s done really well looking after us all.”

A product of Wigan’s academy, her mother, Genna, is head of youth development for the women & girls pathways at the club, appointed in April 2024, and has been an inspiration to Grace throughout her young career so far.

“I’ve played rugby from about eight or nine years old, and my mum used to play, she played against the likes of Amy Hardcastle,” the 18-year-old continued.

“I’ve always had those female role models for me, and my mum was my coach at junior rugby. She’s always been there.”

The talented full-back currently plays both rugby league and rugby union, previously named in England’s under-18s squad in the latter, but does not need to make a decision on which one to choose just yet.

Instead, she’s enjoying life in both codes, with aspirations to go all the way to the top - having also represented England at three levels in rugby league; DiSE, Students and Community Lions.

“A lot of the girls, especially coming up, want to play for England. There’s so many inspirations now, such as Georgia Roach in the NRL,” Banks said.

“Because they’re so good, you want to be like them. They’re nice people as well, and you aspire to play alongside them.

“It’s not just for me to get there to play, it’s so I can play with those players.”

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... ns-4787817