Dewsbury Moor star Roche short listed for Young Personality of Year Award

Georgia Roche has been shortlisted for the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year Award a week after winning the first ever Woman of Steel award.
Georgie Roche has been short listed for the BBCs young personality of the year award. Picture: SWPixGeorgie Roche has been short listed for the BBCs young personality of the year award. Picture: SWPix
Georgie Roche has been short listed for the BBCs young personality of the year award. Picture: SWPix

The 18-year-old Dewsbury Moor girls product helped Castleford Tigers reach the Challenge Cup final with a player-of-the-match performance in the 48-12 semi-final victory against York City Knights, in which she scored four tries.

Roche is one of Super League’s most exciting talents, the Tigers star has made a huge impact in Women’s Super League this year helping Castleford finish fourth and reached the league semi-finals.

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Roche has also been called up to the England 20-player squad which will travel to play France in Carcassonne next Saturday (October 27).

Roche will be up against some talented individuals in the Young Personality of the Year categoory including football star Ryan Sessegnon, para-athlete Kare Adenegan and gymnast Georgia-Mae Fenton.

The winner will be announced at BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which will be held at at Birmingham’s Genting Arena on 16 December.

Loose-forward Roche admitted she was a surprised winner of the inaugural women of steelbut hopes it will help more girls go into the sport with professional clubs.

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Roche said: “Hopefully it will make people push forward and realise their own potential.

“It might make them want to be better and make the young girls coming through – like the Under-12s and Under-14s – want to continue playing rugby as, with some girls, they get to a certain age and think, ‘that’s it, I’ve had enough now’.

“They might start getting partners and things like that and it can go off on a tangent. But they can realise now the sport is becoming a bigger deal and things are starting to change.

“The men are getting behind the women a lot more so, hopefully, fingers crossed, the girls will realise, stick with it and then it will be a bigger thing in the future. Hopefully we’ll have a Young Player of the Year, and a Hit Woman award (top tackler) and things like that.”