Tara Jane Stanley: York Valkyrie’s Grand Final win means ‘everything’

means everything!” That was the immediate reaction of York Valkyrie’s Tara Jane Stanley after her try helped secure a maiden Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final victory on Sunday. The reigning Woman of Steel had been a part of the York side that suffered a heart-breaking 12-4 defeat to Leeds Rhinos in the trophycrowning last year, but her side put their ‘big game curse’ behind them to lift the trophy for the first time. A record crowd watched on as the Valkyrie survived a nervy opening to proceedings to lead 8-0 at the break, with Lacey Owen sealing victory on the hour mark. With the Valkyrie already celebrating, the impressive Caitlin Casey did manage to get over for Leeds in the final play of the game, but that did not dampen a day that firmly belonged to their opponents. “It doesn’t feel real – I can’t even tell you how much myself and the girls have dreamed about this,” she told Sky Sports whilst being soaked by Valkyrie coaching staff Will Dagger and Callum Windley. “It just means so much! “It’s seven years and I was speaking to Peachy [Sinead Peach] about it in the week, and Lindsay [Anfield, director of Rugby] and we never felt really successful in ourselves because of the Grand Final. “But we’ve shown to people that we can do it. This team can do it!” Stanley rushed over to Peach in celebration before sinking to her knees shortly after the hooter. Asked what winning the Grand Final means to her, she replied:”I can’t even put into words how much I have dreamed of this. “It’s shown because the hooter went, me and Peachy looked at each other and they scored! “But I can’t put it into words, it means everything. Everything.”