As is custom with both the men's and women's Super League Grand Finals, we've had Jerusalem performed.

Lynne Kenning sang it, and it went down well.

Always stirs the soul. Spot on.

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It might be a 'home' game for York but there are still plenty of Leeds fans about the LNER Stadium to cheer on their side.

The women's side has been a shining light in an otherwise disappointing year at Headingley, and the fans have made a short trip up the A64 to York for this one.

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Earlier today, Barrow Raiders had to come from behind to see off a spirited Leigh Leopards and book their place in an expanded Women's Super League for 2024.

After Jodie Litherland kicked the only points of the opening 40 for the Raiders, Hattie Dogus scored two tries to put Leigh ahead.

The two missed goals proved key, as Beth Lindsay stomped in from close range and then Jodie Morley crashed through after concerted pressure to steer the Raiders to a lead with a couple of minutes to play.

It's heartbreak for the Leopards, who were there or thereabouts all season, but it's Barrow who join champions Featherstone in the big time next year.

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The two bosses involved in this final, York's Lindsay Anfield and Leeds' Lois Forsell, are former colleagues and team-mates.

Both wore their country's colours for England, and now find themselves tussling for the big prizes against each other as rival coaches.

"I've got a lot of respect for Lois as a coach," Anfield told BBC Radio York.

"We played together and know each other pretty well, and to be two female coaches in a game like this and having played is pretty good.

"It's good for the game and shows there is progression after you finish playing."

Sinead Peach had an autumn to forget in 2022. Not only did she and York miss out on Grand Final glory, but she also missed out on selection for England's World Cup campaign, despite featuring regularly beforehand.

Peach dusted herself down after that and has come back even stronger in 2023, and her selection as captain has also paid dividends with one piece of silverware in the cabinet already.

Leeds again stand in her way, but the Woman of Steel nominee and her team-mates are ready for the test, another year stronger and wiser.

"You've got to beat the best to be the best," Peach told BBC Radio York.

"I think we've matured a lot and we've come together. The squad is better than ever.

"It gives us the fire in the belly to go one better than last year, the girls are doing everything they can off the field to make sure we lift the cup."

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Leeds Rhinos have already tasted disappointment this season, falling short in a historic Challenge Cup final at Wembley back in August against old rivals St Helens.

Their captain Hanna Butcher was part of the side that has bounced back from that heartache, getting their revenge on the Saints with semi-final victory thanks to Sophie Robinson's last-gasp golden point score.

The secret? Spirit created by adversity.

"We've come together more following Wembley," Butcher told BBC Radio Leeds.

"Because we've had to deal with that disappointment and it was easier to deal with it together than on our own.

"I just feel like we're a much closer unit come the back end of the season and that's what we needed really."

Image source, SWPIX.COM

Image source, SWPIX.COM

Lois Forsell has been there, seen it, done it as a player and is enjoying similar success as a head coach with her club Leeds Rhinos.

The former England international continues to draw out the best from the squad, with stars such as Caitlin Beevers, Amy Hardcastle, Zoe Hornby and Keara Bennett at the forefront of their side.

However it has been the emergence of new players, notably the aforementioned Casey and Izzy Northrop which is proving the club's investment in young player pathways is working.

"The girls know that I believe in them all so much as individuals and as a group," Forsell told BBC Radio Leeds.

"The talk has always been about being patient and sticking with the process and each other - it was going to take time.

"We had a lot of different things thrown at us, and a lot of adversity, but good things can come from that.

"You just have to stick together and buy in and we've done that. There was no doubt in our mind if we do that we'll definitely still be in this position."

York hope home advantage in the Women's Super League Grand Final against Leeds at their LNER Stadium can help them take the final step towards the title, says boss Lindsay Anfield.

The Valkyrie's consistency cannot be questioned, with back-to-back regular season League Leaders' Shield wins.

However, York have lost Challenge Cup semi-finals two years in a row, as well as last year's Grand Final.

"You can't understate how big it is," Anfield told BBC Radio York.

"We're so used to coming here on game day, the changing rooms, the pitch. Even the amount of fans we're going to have compared to if it was in Lancashire will make a massive difference.

"Everything bodes well for a successful weekend."

Image source, SWPIX.COM

Image source, SWPix.com

Two changes for York, as Georgie Hetherington and Daisy Sanderson return to the squad with Jess Sharp and Liv Whitehead the two to miss out.

Ashleigh Hyde, Sade Rihari, Carrie Roberts and former Rhinos Rhiannion Marshall and Aimee Staveley are featuring in their first Grand Finals for the Valkyrie.

Leeds are unchanged from the side that beat St Helens in their semi-final, as Sophie Nuttall, Caitlin Beevers and Hanna Butcher maintain their record of playing in every Grand Final for the club.

York: Stanley; Kershaw, Renouf, Roberts, Hetherington; Rihari, Gale; Akpa, Peach, Staveley, Andrade, Owen, Wood

Interchanges: Bell, Marshall, Hyde, Sanderson [Sharp]

Leeds: Enright; Nuttall, Hardcastle, Beevers, Robinson; Casey, Butcher; Northrop, Bennett, Hornby, Murray, Greening, Dainton

Interchanges: Cudjoe, Lockwood, Glynn, Sykes [Moxon]

It all boils down to this then, with the champions decided this afternoon.

We've got plenty to get through and some stories to tell.

Let's start with the teams.

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If York are the relative 'new kids on the block' in terms of tussling for silverware, then Leeds are the benchmark, or at least a marker for other clubs to aspire to.

The Rhinos have won the lot, including the Super League title in 2022, and despite coming up short in the Challenge Cup at Wembley against St Helens, have again found their way through to the big dance in the league despite not matching York's overall consistency.

Lois Forsell has had her challenges as head coach, notably when the heart of their team was ripped out with the move to Australia's NRLW for half-back Georgia Roche, outside-back Fran Goldthorp and new signing Georgia Hale - whose move was cut short to head for the elite southern hemisphere competition.

She and the Rhinos have overcome those departures, and new heroes have emerged. None more so that half-back Caitlin Casey, who belies her teenage years with flourishes of brilliance to steer her team around the pitch.

There is a muscle memory for winning that might just be the difference.

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What a rise it has been for York Valkyrie over the past seven years since their formation.

The women's side has moved from a community foundation concern to a cornerstone of the sports side of the business, particularly since the arrival of owner Clint Goodchild.

They appointed an international-quality coach in Lindsay Anfield, signed international quality players such as Tara Jane Stanley, Sinead Peach and Rhiannon Marshall.

Right now, the only thing missing is the Super League title. They have been so close to success in both the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup, but come up short.

Their regular-season form has brought back-to-back 'minor premierships' with the League Leaders' Shield and they've beaten all their rivals in the process. But knockout rugby league seems to be their Achilles heel.

Hopes are high they can put that right today.

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The final act of the Women's Super League season is upon us, and with it the big prize.

There is obvious prestige in the Challenge Cup, particularly with the carrot of a Wembley appearance; while the League Leaders' Shield is a reward for consistency.

But to call yourselves champions is the ultimate. One of York and Leeds can do so for 2023 after today's Grand Final.