Greenfield: Fittest we’ve ever been
- Wigan Women’s Becky Greenfield reflects on pre-season as Warriors prepare to face Warrington Wolves on Sunday.
- Greenfield: “We’re getting our rugby brains back on.”
- Betfred Women’s Super League gets back underway this weekend.
With just a few hours to go until the Betfred Women’s Super League gets back underway for the first time since 2019, we caught up with full back Becky Greenfield to discuss the 12 month pre-season the team has endured, new faces and some personal goals for the year ahead.
Speaking on the 12 months since Wigan last played a competitive match, she said: “It feels like it’s been the longest pre-season ever! On a personal level though, I think I am the fittest I have ever been.
“After the PNG tour I had my knee operation, and I knew my fitness wasn’t where it should have been, so I wanted to use my rehab time – which luckily fell within the first pandemic – to get myself fit and strong. I think having all that free time gave me no excuses not to get fitter and knowing I wasn’t as fit as I could have been during the PNG tour made me drive to get even fitter preparing for the 2021 World Cup.
“As a team I think we are also at the highest level of fitness we’ve ever been. During lockdown we were doing online Zoom sessions and setting running challenges each month that we tracked on Strava. I think it helped to not only keep us fit during lockdown but kept us close as a team even though we couldn’t train in person.”
Wigan Warriors Women have welcomed a few new faces to the squad for 2021 including Amy Boardman, Aimee Wood and a couple of younger faces stepping up to the first team.
Reflecting on the new additions, Greenfield said: “The squad is looking really strong if I’m honest, I’m excited to get on the pitch with the girls this season. We’ve got some new younger players that have joined us, and I think it’s a massive opportunity for them.”
She added: “There are a few players who have converted over from Rugby Union like Anna Mary Davies – because Rugby League is always the winner! I think it’s brought a bit of speed to the team and just that competition for a shirt. No-one wants to miss out on a starting shirt so it’s helped to really increase tempo and competition to be the best version you can be.
“Amy Boardman has moved from Bradford and she has really stood out to me. She’s just settled in like she’s been here for years, she’s also been put in at a few different positions and it’s not once phased her. I think she will be a very good versatile player for us this season.”
The full back has also been training with the England Performance Squad as they continue to prepare for the Women’s 2021 World Cup. Speaking briefly on her progress with England, she said: “It’s been a privilege to be able to train with the England girls and it’s something I’ve not taken for granted.
“Just to get back on a pitch with a rugby ball in hand has been the best feeling. The preparations for the World Cup have ramped up massively these past couple of months as I have been following the training programme religiously. It’s been quite rewarding to see that all the hard work that I’ve put in over the last year has paid off and its evident to see in my testing scores.
“The next few months in the run up to the World Cup are going to be even harder but the thought of being able to pull on an England shirt and represent my country will motivate me to keep becoming better.”
Wigan Warriors Women start their 2021 Betfred Super League season on Sunday as they face Warrington Wolves Women at Victoria Park. The game will be the first Women’s game to feature on Twitch in a new dedicated streaming programme for the Betfred Women’s Super League.
Live coverage will be available on the dedicated Twitch channel ‘Rugby League’ from 12pm. All matches covered live on Twitch will be repeated on Our League on Monday night from 8pm.
Want to know more about the Warriors Women for 2021? Find out more here.
