Denis Betts hails Wigan Warriors' consistency after emphatic win in Women's Super League season opener

Fresh from reaching the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, the Warriors ran in seven tries to stun reigning WSL champions York at the Brick Community Stadium on Friday night. Molly Jones, Eva Hunter, Tiana Power, Grace Banks (2), Emily Veivers and Shaniah Power all got on the scoresheet for Wigan.

Betts’ side have yet to lose in 2025, having beaten Barrow Raiders, London Broncos, Cardiff Demons and Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup, whilst kicking off their Super League campaign with an emphatic win over York.

“I think we’ve actually been performing really well,” said Betts. “The week before, we put a couple of good things together. I’ve given the girls the target this year in training, and to see what we’ve done, it’s about being consistent.

“I think what the performance showed is that level of consistency. We didn’t have a massive run out against Leeds and then see a drop in performance, so that’s something that we’ve worked really hard at, and I think that’s what came through - we backed up the Leeds game with a consistent performance against York.

“Saying that, we knew that the challenge against York was going to be different, they were coming off a loss that would have hurt them and they’re the Super League champions so we knew that we had to really front up and put ourselves in a position where we could actually deliver what we practised.”

The Warriors were without key player Anna Davies due to a hip injury. The England international was replaced by Australian speedster Tiana Power, who claimed the Player of the Match award in the win over York.

Providing an injury update, Betts said: “It’s really early to say, we’ve come out of the game and with a couple of bumps and bruises because it was a very physical game, so we’ll assess ourselves over the next day or so and see where we are.

“Anna has got a bit of a hip problem, but hopefully she’s on the mend already. It was just a week too soon for her, and the rest of the girls were just rested. I thought Holly Speakman did a great job in the Leeds game, but Jade Gregory-Haselden came in and did a really good job last night again as well.

“That’s the strength of us here, we’ve got a really great, strong group of girls. We’re not just looking at a 13 or 17 at the moment, we’re looking at 22 girls who can compete to be in the starting team, and that can only make us stronger.”

Next up for the Warriors Women is a clash with Barrow Raiders in Round Two of Super League on Sunday 25 May at Robin Park Arena.