Featherstone Rovers ladies duo ready to hit the ground running

Featherstone Rovers ladies have been building a strong foundation in group two of the super league in 2022 with plenty of new names coming into the ranks.

I spoke to two member of their squad, Chloe Billington and new recruit, British Army rugby union 7’s and 15’s player Courtney Pursglove about their aims for the upcoming season.

Chloe is no stranger to super league having played previously for Wakefield Trinity ladies. She believes that she has developed as a player and settled into her game at Featherstone 

“Since leaving Wakefield I feel like I have really come on as a player and gained more confidence on the field due to the Featherstone ethos, competitive and physical squad. The players and coaches always push me to get the best out of me and further me as a player, specifically focusing on weaker areas that I needed to work on since the move.”

Looking back at her time with Featherstone and through lockdowns she talks about the benefits of self motivation

“I found the season tough, demanding and physical especially with the lockdown missing a lot of field time. However, it benefited me to work on myself behind the scenes, building my strength up, working on basics to bring them into the team heading into last season which was successful for me personally as a player.”

Last season Courtney honed her skills at Castleford as she transitioned from union to league, and grew with confidence and believes this can only grow and develop at Featherstone, setting herself personal goals to bring on her game.

 “After my short but successful season with Castleford Tigers I gained a lot of knowledge on and off field about the game. Obviously transitioning from rugby union I felt my confidence grew through each game I played which I want to still maintain whilst playing for Featherstone. I feel I can bring my good skill set to the side, such as my passing and kicking game and from this I have set myself a goal to venture into the halves and become one of the play makers which I feel I could be successful at with the players and coaches beside me.”

Coming from the Army setting Courtney is no stranger to setting high standards for herself and the determination to see them through to get the job done!

“In the Army they have very high standards and demands to meet as a player on and off the field. This has linked well with the rugby league ethos as I feel the standard doesn't drop with both being very professional and enjoyable environments. Even though both teams are different codes of rugby, I feel like the skill set is still the same within how you read the game and play as a team and the will to want to win.”

Chloe has her eyes firmly on silverware this season as last season saw them narrowly lose out 24-22 to Huddersfield in the Super league shield final back in October 2021.

“My aims for this season is to reach to a final again and get the silverware this time, which I am confident about as we have had good behind the scenes recruitment and training atmosphere and attitude has been very positive and how well we're all connecting as team.”

Following an off season of hard work on her craft she is hoping to secure a starting shirt as the season gets under way.

“My individual aims for this season are to secure a starting shirt within the talented squad we have up for selection. I want to beat my try record from last season, as well as maintaining if not surpassing my current levels of my knowledge and core skills of the game. I have been working a lot on my strength to cope with the demands of super league rugby and can't wait to showcase all the work I have been putting in this year behind closed doors.”

Their strong off the field partnership could be the key to unlocking their full potential within the squad and could give them a good footing against their opposition.

“ The partnership off the field I feel will benefit us as we can communicate with one another and read each others playing style a lot easier than others due to us spending our time together outside of rugby and playing rugby union sides together since 2018. This season I think this will make us link up well especially with Courtney being a half and me (Chloe) playing in the centre/wing position, with kicking being a vital part of the game, I'll be able to read when she will want to do a certain play or kick. I think this will give us an advantage on the score board due to being able to practice more together away from training.”

Can they put their stamp on the women’s super league and cement their place in the starting line up come the first round of games in May