Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors: Caitlin Beevers calls for Old Trafford chance as Wembley comes into view

The Rhinos are bidding for a return to the national stadium as part of next month's triple-header, with Wigan Warriors standing in their way in Sunday's semi-final.

After achieving parity with their male counterparts in the cup, Beevers believes it should be extended to the Super League decider.

"I remember when it was first announced that the final would be at Wembley last year and my heart dropped because I didn't think that was something in the pipeline for a lot of years," said the 22-year-old.

"This is my seventh season for Leeds and I didn't think it would come this quickly.

"We want Old Trafford next. They're high expectations but if we've got one, we want the other. If we put on a good enough occasion at Wembley, hopefully it will come pretty soon."

The Rhinos fell short against St Helens in the inaugural Wembley final despite Beevers' wonder try.

The motivation of booking a third trip to the iconic stadium is enough for the England international without raking up last year.

"It's a new group so we're not relying on that pain," said Beevers, who became the first female to referee at Wembley in 2018.

"I know revenge gets talked about quite a lot in these situations but we're focusing on ourselves. We can't focus too much on what happened last year because that was mentally draining.

"Everyone wants to be able to play in a final so that's why we need to knuckle down this weekend and get the first job done."

Beevers is yet to feature in the Challenge Cup this year after undergoing shoulder reconstruction in the off-season.

The centre is determined to take an unexpected opportunity in the semi-finals.

"The five months that I was out flew by," said Beevers, who made her comeback in the opening round of Super League last month.

"It's come around pretty quickly. We didn't even think that I'd be back in time for the final so to be able to play in the semi is massive for me."

Wigan are viewed as the best of the rest as they bid to turn the big three into a big four.

Beevers feels the Warriors are catching up with Leeds, Saints and York Valkyrie after an impressive start to the season.

"I think they've improved massively," she said.

"Denis Betts has come in and had a massive influence on the way they play. I've been talking to quite a few people in the England squad that play for Wigan and they sing his praises very highly.

"With the scorelines, you can already tell the impact that he's made. I think they're going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.

"I'm looking forward to seeing more of them this season – but not too much."