Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not.
The forecast may call for plenty of rain on Saturday at SMF Field, but the Saskatoon Valkyries are hoping to bring the thunder themselves with a Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship on the line.
After the weather conditions they’ve played in so far this season, head coach Pat Barry said they wouldn’t have it any other way.
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“It’s not a surprise, I guess,” Barry said. “We have had all sorts of weather, I guess we may as well have a thunderstorm, too.”
The Valkyries will have the opportunity to add to their dynasty on Saturday afternoon, as they’ll battle the Edmonton Arctic Pride with a sixth-consecutive championship up for grabs.
Defensive line veteran Shantel Sabiston said the energy has been high at practice this week preparing for a championship game they envisioned at the beginning of the WWCFL season.
“I know this week everyone has been all hyped up,” Sabiston said. “We’ve been putting the work in, so bittersweet being the last practice. Also, super excited to be able to bring home another title.”
Saskatoon advanced to the championship game with a hard-fought 17-7 victory over the Manitoba Fearless in the Prairie Conference title game last weekend, which included a key defensive touchdown from Grace Farthing.
“It was a lot of mental reps and knowing that we were going to go into a battle last weekend,” said Valkyries linebacker Natasha Englot.
“The girls did great, our lines held strong. There were some injuries on the field, we rallied and got back into it.”
Now, the Valkyries will face their stiffest test not only this season, but potentially of their dynasty run in Saturday’s championship game.
Both Saskatoon and Edmonton enter the championship game with identical 5-0 records on the season, with the Arctic Pride outscoring their opponents by a whopping 191-29 margin.
“They’re a well-coached team and they’re polished,” said Valkyries linebacker Emmarae Dale.
“We’re excited to have our first chance at them this year and hopefully show them what Saskatchewan football is all about.”
Saturday’s game will be a rematch of last year’s WWCFL championship game, which saw the Valkyries steal a 28-0 shutout victory on the road at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
“They’ve got a bone to pick with us,” Englot said.
“They’re going to want it, they’re good. They’ve had their conference for the last two years, so I think they’ll be coming in hot and we’re going to be prepared.”
While Saskatoon’s undefeated streak of five consecutive championships and 44 straight victories dating back to 2018 has set the standard, Barry said this is a new group.
He expects the Valkyries will be tested early and often against Edmonton, meaning their championship-calibre core will need to rise to the occasion.
“You can always draw on that experience,” Barry said. “But every season, every game is a new season and a new game. We do have a lot of young players on the team and obviously, they’re nervous.”
This will be the first time since 2023 that Saskatoon will have the chance to bring home a WWCFL title on their home field, which Barry added was important for his team to seize with one game left on their calendar.
“It’s such a big deal,” Barry said. “We get to be in front of our family and friends. That’s why we try and get into that position.”
The Valkyries (5-0) and Arctic Pride (5-0) will kick off the 2026 WWCFL championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday at SMF Field.
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