Leeds Rhinos: 'The three Geordies' making their mark in Women's Super League

(Left to right) Sam Hulme, Zoe Hornby and Orla McCallion all grew up playing rugby league in the north east

Rugby league is tough - so to make a three-hour round trip, three times a week, to be battered, bruised and roughed up, has to be a sacrifice worth making.

Just ask the Leeds Rhinos' trio of back-rower Zoe Hornby, utility back Sam Hulme and hooker Orla McCallion.

The trio all play for, and train with, Lois Forsell's Rhinos side. All three travel from the outskirts of Newcastle, in north Tyneside, to do so.

What makes it all the more special is they are all long-time friends, "almost like sisters", they chime, who have made the jump to elite sport together.

From Whitley Bay Barbarians to the Women's Super League. To Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals. To international recognition. To a bright future in women's rugby league.

"We wouldn't be doing it if we weren't mates, it was all networked through that friendship," Hulme told BBC Sport.

"It's more fun doing it as a three, doing it all together and representing the community club here makes it even more worthwhile."

Hornby added: "Travelling on your own can be a bit tedious but as you go through the highs and lows with each other throughout it, it's pretty good having those two there."

For all the enjoyment and great pride, the rising price of fuel has had an impact for the girls, who car share to provide company and save on costs.

They have no choice but to splash out to achieve their aims, but they are seeking sponsorship to help them continue their journey.

"Now I've been given this opportunity, the only thing that would stop me is the cost," Hornby said.

"I'm a student, I don't have a solid income other than my part-time job, because I'm trying to get a degree.

"To take that burden off all three of us in getting to Leeds, and with the international opportunities and the extra pressure to be there, it would be great if someone could help in any way."

There is plenty of time on those car journeys to chew the fat, put the world to rights and get out their frustrations amongst friends.

"It's really special because it's not just rugby-wise, it's personal-wise that we've all been through thick and thin together," McCallion said.

"Whether it's hand-holding you need, or a slap in the face, you know you'll get it. We're all different but we all want the same thing.

"It's nice because I really genuinely can't imagine doing this without them."

Humble beginnings to major breakthrough

Zoe Hornby was outstanding in the Challenge Cup final, earning the votes for player of the match

The trio have come a long way from four-week trials with the academy to making their Super League debuts and, in the case of Hornby, selection for the England squad.

Ireland international McCallion, whose father Seamus won the league and Challenge Cup at Halifax, and also played for his country, was the first to get an opportunity when she contacted Rhinos boss Forsell expressing interest.

Her success led to Hulme joining too, and Hornby, who had been out of the game completely to concentrate on football but was lured back to league - and has gone from strength to strength.

She won player of the match in Leeds' Challenge Cup final defeat by St Helens, scoring a try in the process, and was recently added to Craig Richards' England squad.

Such progress from all three of the ex-Barbarians has had a big impact at their community club.

"Living in Newcastle I never thought I'd be able to play for a Super League team," McCallion said.

"I know a few of the younger girls as well and people have realised it's not just people from Yorkshire and Lancashire who play rugby league."

Hulme added: "I think it's proving to young girls up here that just because geographically we might be challenged, there's not a Super League team on the doorstep and there aren't coaches watching all the time, you can get noticed and you can put yourself out there.

"We're playing Super League and it's all through someone giving us a shot."

Signing autographs and playing on the big stage

St Helens and Leeds have enjoyed some huge games, as two of the top Women's Super League teams

It is easy to forget - as women's rugby league shares its platform with the men's game, at events like Thursday's double-header between Leeds and Wigan's sides - that the women are not on paid contracts.

Hulme works full-time, while Hornby and McCallion are full-time students. It is a labour of love for them to play.

Things are certainly changing as the game grows - Leeds provide facilities, kit and hotels for awkward kick-off times, while matches are going from tiny pitches to major stadiums.

"I saw the crowd after the Huddersfield game and there are kids asking for your autograph and you're looking around thinking 'Are you asking for mine?!'," McCallion said. "It's surreal."

Hornby agrees: "It makes it that bit more inspiring for the younger generation, going to Headingley and the other stadiums, Totally Wicked and the Halliwell Jones, it's class to be able to play in these big grounds.

"A lot of them are starting to fill up a little bit, it's different compared to the men but even having that extra boost of people makes you enjoy it a bit more and shows you women's rugby league is going somewhere, and it's going quickly."

Leeds' Challenge Cup final win over Castleford at Bolton in 2019 was a seminal moment for the women's game, kicking off a triple-header involving the men's semi-finals, and live coverage on the BBC.

Hulme laughs at how she "fangirled" players such as Hanna Butcher and Courtney Winfield-Hill just a few years ago, and yet now is a respected team-mate.

The women's final has been part of that occasion ever since - with the 2022 final at Elland Road, home of Leeds United, the biggest venue choice yet.

"I've certainly been that person who has been inspired by those women and the WSL, so to be playing amongst them and learning from the best is unreal," Hulme said.

"Rugby is such a brutal sport and everyone that doesn't understand it asks why you would do it.

"I think everybody that plays in the Women's Super League would join me in saying it's to inspire the next generation and we're part of such a massive movement - it's exploded."

Rugby league adopting a new accent

The long car journeys shared by the three help to cope with disappointments like the 2021 Grand Final

Not since the days of the Thorman brothers - Neil, Paul and ex-England international Chris - has rugby league had such a Geordie accent running through the game, with Sam Luckley at Salford also flying the men's flag.

Their distinctive twang certainly comes with mickey-taking from coaches, with Ant and Dave Gibbons likened to popular TV duo 'Ant and Dec' by the trio for their attempts at mimicry.

The girls are quick to highlight the respect they are held in by their team-mates, who they describe as family rather than just colleagues.

Last season the team chipped together to contribute to the trio's fuel costs, and helped foster a sense of belonging.

"It genuinely made us cry," Hulme recalls. "That's what we were saying about us being a family. This badge [Leeds] might not have meant anything to me as a kid but this badge means those girls to me now. It was unbelievable."

Hornby added: "It highlights how much we mean to the squad, we've come in as a three and we're known as 'the three Geordies' - attached by the hip, and they laugh about it.

"It was massive for us, we realised what we were a part of."