WARRINGTON Wolves’ Women will open their season with a BetFred Challenge Cup tie against Bradford Bulls this Saturday.
The new-look squad will cross the Pennines full of optimism after a gruelling pre-season that started with trials in November and saw the departure of some established names.
Head coach Armani Sharrock’s players also face London Broncos away and St Helens at home in the group stages of the Cup as they bid to qualify for the quarter finals.
For Armani, who took over the reins from Lee Westwood in September, the challenge is for her team to follow the processes put in place through the winter.
She also sees this season as the one where the Wolves could close the gap on the likes of St Helens, Leeds Rhinos and York Valkyrie.
The former Wire skipper said: “We want to be more competitive this year. During pre-season we have looked at our standards and behaviour and the way we conduct ourselves.
“Now it’s up to the girls to play rugby and get closer to that top three.”
The Scottish-born forward – who moved to Wigan when she was nine – has expressed her delight at the way pre-season has gone.
She said: “I’m really happy that we have achieved everything we set out to do in pre-season, looking at core skills and re-evaluating our attack and defence.
“We have been learning new processes and the rule changes that have come into play this year and have looked to simplify the way we play without losing the ability to play more expansively when we need to.”
And, despite some injury concerns for Saturday’s game, she is pleased with the 30-strong squad that has been assembled under her charge.
She said: “Half of the squad is new but we have a better depth this year, with some exciting young talent mixed with experience.
“We are in a better place than we could have hoped to be and I can see us being really competitive this year.
“There will be some players making their debut this weekend and it’s really exciting to see how they are going to go.”
