Wakefield Trinity Ladies’ vice-captain, Cassy Lawson, is proud of how her teammates battled for each other in Sunday’s defeat to Bradford.
After a week of uncertainty following last weekend’s defeat to Warrington, Wakefield Trinity Ladies rose to the occasion, showing their defensive determination as they tried to find their way through the Bulls’ defence.
Following a deadlock after the first 20 minutes, with both sides causing problems for their counterparts, it was Bradford who made the breakthrough, however, Lawson was pleased with the attributes shown by her teammates throughout the full 80.
“Amazing, resilient, committed, determined, all the positive words we have been looking for all season. We all worked hard for each other with smiles on our faces,” said Lawson.
“I am so proud of every single one of the players for their effort, commitment, and courage. Every single girl put in an enormous shift and gave that extra 10 percent for each other.
“Although we didn’t get the win, I still went home with the same level of pride, excitement and buzz that I would have got if we did.”
After a couple of problems in the lead-up to the game through injuries, which meant Trinity went onto the Odsal pitch with just 15 players, the side dug deep, working a few opportunities of their own.
Amy Bennett played an instrumental role at fullback as her quick hands found Alisha Nix, but the winger was unable to touch down before the Trinity number five made a big break of her own, coming agonisingly close to scoring her first try.
The reasons behind these glimpses of magic was down to a huge effort when we didn’t have the ball, restricting Bradford in important parts of the field.
“We have had a new defence coach come on board and work with us last week, Jorge Richardson, and this has really helped us in both skill and confidence.
“I think, most of all, it was the attitude and effort we went into the game with, we were determined to go out there and hold our heads high, be hard and put the work in, even with 15.”
With two interchanges available, Trinity had their hands tied, leaving forward players to have big stints on the field.
Nevertheless, they showed the same grit and determination they had throughout the whole contest, limiting Bradford to just 26 points and giving them a sprinkling of optimism for the future, with Cassy playing a vital role in that.
“I am happy with the performance, however, there are always things I can improve and work on.
“I have put a lot of emphasis on our own personal tackle and completion stats that are collated from the games and that has definitely motivated, both myself and the others, to keep putting in the effort even when the tank is running low.
“Them small weekly personal improvements and commitments are key to the improvement of the whole team going forward.”
Signing from Hull FC alongside her sister, Leonie, Cassy has proved to be a contestant figurehead in the Trinity dressing room. Utilising the experience she has both on and off the pitch is vital to ensure standards are met, but most importantly, the players are feeling they are getting the most out of Rugby League
This has been key in maintaining a feeling of consistency, especially when times are tough, and she is enjoying the role she plays.
“I just try to lead from the front, be strong and be loud and proud!” she explained.
“I’m also a huge believer in bigging up the girls at every opportunity that we get and this was in abundance on Sunday, we saw the girls rallying around each other and some play with newfound confidence and freedom that we haven’t seen all year.
“We have a lot of younger girls and are now focusing on a creating positive and nurturing environment which I feel was evident from performances.”
With just three games remaining, a big emphasis has been put on performances and showing the same level of determination they did at the weekend will stand them in good stead.
“I feel very positive going into the end of the season,” Cassy followed.
“We will be looking to start all games as we did on Sunday, to continue coming together and fighting for each other and the shirt.
“The Bradford game has given us all the pickup, motivation, and confidence we needed for the final stint of the season and I’m excited.”
You can catch Wakefield Trinity Ladies in action at the Be Well Support Stadium on Sunday, 21st August 2022 as we take on Leigh Miners.