Sinead Peach in title warning to York Valkyrie's Super League rivals

Following their Grand Final triumph over St Helens, Peach admits the victory last season placed a target on their backs but hopes they can extend their reign.

“They see you as the ones to beat, but in some ways, you become the underdogs too,” she says. “Everyone wants their hands on the Grand Final trophy — and right now, we’ve got it. So yes, there’s a target on us, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to hand it over easily.”

This attitude was on full display during last Sunday’s nail-biting 24-20 win over Huddersfield Giants, secured by Peach herself with a dramatic 77th-minute try.

“It was a tough game, we had to try really hard to get the win. In the first half we blew them away, the second half they really did come back and give us a game, so to get over the line and win it for us, was a relief,” she said.

Peach says the trip to Warrington this Sunday is an important step for York as they look to gain momentum ahead of tougher tests later in the season.

“We’re using these matches to run our plays and help newer members grow into their positions. It’s all about building confidence,” she said. “We’ll definitely be aiming for a nil against Warrington, hopefully they don’t get across the whitewash, and we can right the wrongs from previous matches.”

Injuries have forced Valkyrie to reshuffle their squad in recent weeks, with key names like Olivia Wood sidelined and Megan Pakulis making the move to the NRL. Despite these setbacks, Peach hopes the team can overcome the absentees.

“We’ve been hit with a few injuries and have lost some good players, but a lot of the girls are really stepping up,” she said. “They’re putting in the work and putting their names forward. We can’t ask for more, it’s been great for morale.”

Sunday’s match may not be against a top-four side, but Peach isn’t underestimating the challenge.

“Warrington will want to put things right after a few tough results,” she says. “They’ve had some high scorelines lately, so we’re expecting them to come out strong. We just need to stick to our game plan, and hopefully come away with the win.”

With York currently sitting third in the table, Valkyrie’s approach remains unchanged despite the pressure to defend their title.

Peach said: “As a team, we’ve always focused on ourselves — that’s been our mindset for the past two seasons, and it’s brought us success. The goal is to keep the energy high in camp and keep pushing each other to the best of our abilities. If we stick to our process and do what we did last year we can prove people wrong again and retain the trophy.”