Barrow Raiders Ladies forward Vanessa Temple is excited to do battle with a number of familiar faces as the squad prepare to take on Warrington Wolves Women in the Betfred Challenge Cup this weekend.
Amanda Wilkinson’s side were beaten 68-0 by St Helens, last season’s treble-winners, in their opening group stage game of the competition.
Despite the result, Temple insists it gives the squad a good foundation to build on heading into their upcoming competitive fixtures.
“I’ve played St Helens several times from when I played at Wigan, so I knew what to expect,” she said.
“As a squad, we always knew it was going to be a huge challenge, but it gave us a chance to test ourselves against the best.
“We need to work on our fitness, but we stuck in for the whole game and showed lots of character.
“I think we did amazingly well to be only 24-0 down at half-time, but again the fitness for the second half was never going to compare with the England girls who I know will train probably three times a week.
“It gave us a good chance to see how we stuck together as a team and gives us a solid foundation to build on.”
Up next for the Ladies is a trip to Victoria Park this Sunday, as they face a Warrington side boasting plenty of familiar faces to Temple, including co-captain and good friend Michelle Davis.
In 2018, the pair formed a formidable centre-winger partnership under current Raiders Ladies boss Wilkinson during their time at Wigan, and Temple says she is excited to get reacquainted on the field.
She also insists it will be a chance to prove that the Raiders belong at Super League level following their promotion ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Previewing Sunday’s game, she said: “I think Warrington will be a good test to show we can be up at the top.
“I think the pure Cumbrian grit and determination will come out against Warrington!
“A couple of girls from Wigan have joined Warrington, so it will be fun to come up against them my good mate Michelle, who I’ve played union and league with for several years. She was on fire in her last game so I’ll maybe put a big hit in, but it’s all in fun!
“The confidence is pretty good amongst the squad. We’ve been working very hard in training to get some shape, and it’s really come together in the last couple weeks.
“I’m personally really excited for this game, and I think as a squad it’s one we can go and cause a big upset!”
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