York Valkyrie can confirm the departures of four first-team players following the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Liv Whitehead, Grace Field, Chloe Smith and Kacey Davies will all be moving on to the next chapters of their careers having departed the Valkyrie.
York RLFC would like to thank all four players for their services to the Club and wish them all the best for their future careers.
Liv Whitehead - #97
Whitehead joined York from Wakefield Trinity in August 2021, with the winger going on to make 20 appearances for the Valkyrie, scoring nine tries and 29 goals.
The winger, is also capable of featuring at full-back, made nine regular season appearances across the past two seasons for York, who won back-to-back League Leaders’ Shields for the first time in the history of the Betfred Women’s Super League.
The 19-year-old was among the Valkyrie’s try-scorers in September’s 22-6 BWSL Play-Off Semi-Final victory over Wigan Warriors.
Grace Field - #93
Field was one of seven players to arrive at York following the appointment of Director of Rugby Lindsay Anfield in May 2021, joining the Club from Castleford Tigers.
The prop featured in the Club’s first Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final defeat to St Helens the following month, as York lost out 34-6 to the treble-winners at the Leigh Sports Village.
The Valkyrie won consecutive League Leaders’ Shields in 2022 and 2023, with Field featuring in 10 regular season matches during that time. The 26-year-old was absent from the back end of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in August.
Field’s time at York comes to an end after making 27 appearances for the Club, scoring 11 tries.
Chloe Smith - #116
Smith signed for York in the off-season from Castleford Tigers and went on to make her Valkyrie debut in the 44-4 victory at Barrow Raiders in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup - her sole appearance for the Club.
The half-back returned to BWSL Group Two side Castleford Tigers on dual registration in July, scoring two tries in eight appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit.
Kacey Davies
Davies arrived at the Valkyrie ahead of the 2023 campaign from Wakefield Trinity, simultaneously signing a dual registration agreement with Featherstone Rovers of the BWSL Group Two.
The back-rower featured for York in last year’s friendly defeat to Papua New Guinea ahead of the Women’s World Cup, but not did make a senior appearance for the Valkyrie.
Davies earned six starts for Featherstone in 2023 as the Rovers topped Group Two with eight wins from 10 league matches to earn promotion to Group One.
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