Lindsay Anfield: Mentality key for York Valkyrie at Leeds & Wigan

York travel to Headingley this lunchtime (12pm) before another tough test awaits at Robin Park the following week.

Both are fixtures in which Anfield’s side triumphed in comfortably on their way to an unprecedented second consecutive League Leaders’ Shield last season, but things will undoubtedly prove harder this time around.

Lineham & Marshall set for first minutes since May as Knights & Valkyrie name squads

The Valkyrie, after a tumultuous season in which they have lost several key members of their Grand Final winning side to illness and injury, sit fourth - level with third-placed Wigan, but two points behind Leeds, and four adrift of current leaders St Helens.

Whilst a play-off spot is secured, home advantage is all to play for, but Anfield admits that has seldom played on her mind.

“For us, we just want to perform well in these games,” she explained to The Press. “It’s going to set us up for the play-offs.

“We’re guaranteed to be in a play-off game and we want to be in a position that no matter where we finish, we’re ready to take on any of the top three.

“A home tie would be nice, but equally we’ve probably played better away from home than we have been at home.

“We’re not going to dwell too much on being desperate for that home fixture, it’s probably just going to come down to points difference.

“It’s just more about getting the squad into the best place possible to perform in the play-offs.”

Leeds inflicted a first league defeat on the Valkyrie in almost two years earlier in the campaign. (Image: Alan Milner/Milner Creative/York RLFC)

The director of rugby believes that her squad’s mentality holds the key to them finishing the season as strong as possible, and has made a notable mention of Whitehaven - the Knights’ Betfred Championship opponents this weekend - after their battling victory with just 14 men at Dewsbury last weekend.

There has undoubtedly been outside noise ahead of their trip to Leeds, a repeat of October’s Grand Final, but York remain focused on themselves.

Anfield explained: “I say the word mentality a lot, but mentality is where rugby league games are won or lost.

“We’ve been trying to mentally make them aware that what’s happened before doesn’t define us or doesn’t define them – what matters is how they react to that.

“We’re fully focused on looking forward and what we can do to rectify some of the areas that we haven’t done particularly well in this year.

“That’s what we’ve been focusing on, and if we play good rugby and perform well, then hopefully we’ll get the result.”