BWSL: Beevers excited to return home

On Sunday (14 September) York Valkyrie travel to AMT Headingley to face Leeds Rhinos in their final game of the Betfred Women’s Super League regular season, shown live on The Sportsman.

The two met previously in Round 2 in what proved a close match-up between the pair.

It was a tough start for both sides with York being the only team to add any points before the second half.

After the break, a back-and-forth game ensued with both teams alternating leads to up the tension. With just 20 minutes to go, 17-year-old Frankie Blakey scored her first career try for the Rhinos, with a conversion from Mel Howard making it 14-16 in their favour.

But an error just metres from their own line saw York seize an opportunity and move back into leading position, which they held onto for the rest of the game.

Last week, Leeds Rhinos captain Caitlin Beevers made her return from injury after 13 months on the sideline. The team’s match-up against York marks her first game back in front of their home crowd, something the centre is particularly looking forward to:

“I'm so excited to be back at Headingley. Some people might say it's biased, but for me it is by far the best stadium to play at in the league.

“To be at home for the last league game of the season and hopefully walk the girls out it’sjust a dream come true.

“Especially against York, it's a really big occasion - it always is.

“We're hoping to get as many supporters there as possible, it should be a really good occasion, especially with the under 19s playing beforehand. I think it's definitely worth giving them a shout out because they're the next generation and it should be a good contest to see how they go against each other.”

A knee injury in July 2024 saw her season come to an abrupt end, but being on the sidelines hasn’t stopped her from making vital contributions to the team:

“It's been a long a lot longer than anticipated. Having two operations wasn't in the pipeline, one should have sufficed. But I'm glad I did because I'm not as in as much pain now. I’m happy to be back in it.

“I was sat up with Lois [Forsell] for the majority of the season, cheering the girls on and helping with substitutes. It was nice to be part of the staffing side as well as the playing side.

“Trying to support the girls whilst being captain, but not on-field captain, I did find that quite tricky. The girls have been so supportive, and it really shows that you don’t have to be on the field to be respected.”

Beevers has forged an incredible career so far with the Rhinos which includes five Grand Final appearances, two Challenge Cup wins and a victory in the Women’s Nines in 2023.

She started with the team back in 2018, debuting at just 16 years old and finishing the season as the team’s top try scorer. That same year she helped the Rhinos secure their first pieces of silverware by winning the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield.

Despite injury setbacks, earlier this year the centre was named as the Rhinos’ new captain, expanding upon her role as vice captain which she has held for the previous two seasons. As a senior player who has come through the club’s academy system, Beevers understands the vital role she plays in mentoring younger teammates as they prepare for high pressure matches in Super League:

“I think that within my role as captain, I'm finding within my own team that I just like checking in with people.

“If someone’s not had the best session it’s checking in with them, asking how did they find it, do they want to turn up to the next training session a bit earlier and I’ll join them and we’ll go through those skills.

“I just try and help where I can, and if it involves turning up for training, having a chat, then I'll absolutely do that for the girls.”

Alongside her Rhinos career, Beevers has made a number of appearances for England. Next year, the Rugby League World Cup returns to Australia, where she hopes to once again make an impact as part of the squad:

“I think I need to focus on my own confidence. Having a full pre-season will definitely go in my favour and I'm really going to look after myself and make sure that next year, England is on the cards.

“But, at the moment I'm just trying to make sure I'm enjoying my rugby and getting back to the standard that I was initially at - I'm aware that it's not just going to be a case of coming back on the field and it happening overnight.”

Watch Leeds Rhinos host York Valkyrie live on The Sportsman in Round 14 (K.O. 3pm).