Tara Jane Stanley: Valkyrie’s hopes for the Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium

For the first time, the final of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup will be held alongside the men’s competition at Wembley Stadium – a prospect that seemed a long way off just a few years ago.

York are certainly doing well in the task as, after a 44-4 win at Barrow Raiders and a record-breaking 122-0 home win, only Leigh Leopards remain ahead of Hull KR for a top spot in Group 3 of the competition.

“This weekend is huge, especially with some of the performances and the skills that we had in the Nines,” she said. “We just want to right our wrongs.

“We love the Challenge Cup. It’s definitely high on the tick list this year.

“Last year we didn’t make it, but to be first in the table is huge for us.

“It’s a Dream [to play at Wembley]. If you mention a stadium where you want to play, of course you want to play there.

“It’s huge for us girls and we try not to get too excited. We just have to keep our feet on the ground and work step by step to get there.

“But we’re really excited about the prospect of playing at Wembley.”

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While the Valkyrie live up to their reputation as favorites to take the Betfred Women’s Super League title, Stanley admits the side are unhappy with their success earlier in the season and remain fully focused on clinching the title to back up.

“The job doesn’t change and the plan doesn’t change,” she explained.

“We are on the journey and this is the beginning of the journey. We by no means believe that we will have it easy in the future.

“We have a run now and then we meet Leeds and Saints again. But we are not satisfied with our position.

“We’re just staying very humble and just going with the journey and the plan.”