Queensland women's rugby league team explained

Badge:	Queensland women's rugby league team logo 2020.png
Badge Size:	150px
Nickname:	Maroons
Governing Body:	Queensland Rugby League
Coach:	Tahnee Norris
Captain:	Ali Brigginshaw
Most Caps:	Karyn Murphy (20)^[1]
Home Stadium:	Sunshine Coast Stadium (12,000)
First Game:	Queensland 18–16 New South Wales (ANZ Stadium, Brisbane; 4 July 1999)
Largest Win:	Queensland 46–4 New South Wales (Kougari Oval, Brisbane; 9 August 2008)
Largest Loss:	New South Wales 22–6 Queensland (WIN Stadium, Wollongong; 23 July 2017)

The Queensland women's rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons", after the colour of their jersey, the team compete in the annual Women's State of Origin game against arch-rivals New South Wales. Coached by Tahnee Norris and captained by Ali Brigginshaw, the team is administered by the Queensland Rugby League.

Until 2017, the team competed in the Women's Interstate Challenge before the game was rebranded as State of Origin in 2018.^[2] From 1999 to 2015, the Maroons went on an unprecedented 17-year undefeated streak.^[3]

History

In 1999, Queensland played New South Wales for the first time at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium, with the Maroons' winning 18–16.^[4] The win started an undefeated streak that would last for 17 years. The team were originally nicknamed the "Brolgas".^{[5] [6]}

In 2015, Queensland failed to defeat New South Wales for the first time, drawing with them 4–all at Townsville's 1300SMILES Stadium.^[7]

In 2016, New South Wales defeated Queensland for the first time, winning 8–4 at Cbus Super Stadium.^[8]

In 2018, the Women's Interstate Challenge was rebranded as State of Origin.^[9] On 22 June 2018, New South Wales won the first game under the State of Origin banner, defeating Queensland 16–10 at North Sydney Oval.^[10] In 2020, Queensland won their first game under the Origin banner, defeating New South Wales 24–18.^[11]

On 23 March 2021, Tahnee Norris, who played 13 interstate games for Queensland, was announced as new head coach of the side.^[12]

In March 2022, it was announced that the one fixture in 2022 would be played at Canberra Stadium on 24 June, and that from 2023 onwards, two Women's State of Origin matches would be played each season.^{[13] [14] [15]}

Players

Prior to 2019, the Queensland and New South Wales teams were largely selected under residency rules, meaning a number of players represented both states. Tahnee Norris, who captained Queensland, and Natalie Dwyer, both represented New South Wales before moving to Queensland, while Tarah Westera represented Queensland before moving south.^[16]

In 2019, the eligibility rules were revised to be more inline with the men's State of Origin rules.^[17] The residency rule was removed, which saw New Zealand representatives Maitua Feterika (Queensland) and Nita Maynard (New South Wales) ruled ineligible.^[18] Rona Peters was also ruled ineligible as she had previously represented New Zealand. This was later overturned and she was given special dispensation, as she had retired from international rugby league in 2015, before she first represented Queensland in 2016.^[19]

Current squad

On 19 June 2024, the QRL announced the squad for the third match of the three-match series, which is to be played at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on 27 June 2024.^[20]
Tallies in the table include the third State of Origin match of the 2024 series.
Table last updated 27 June 2024.

-- class="sortable" --> border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" style="width:100%;" style="text-align:center;"
J#	Player	Age	Position(s)	Queensland					2024 State Club		NRLW			Tests	All Stars
				Dbt				Pts	Club		2024 Club
1	align=left		27		2020	8	4	0	16	align=left		7	align=left		16	27	align=left	2	align=left	2
2	align=left		26		2020	7	3	0	12	align=left		2	align=left		24	24	align=left	6
3	align=left		26		2020	8	1	0	4	align=left		5	align=left		24	24	align=left	3
4	align=left		28		2022	6	2	0	8	align=left		4	align=left		21	24	align=left	4
5	align=left		21		2024	2	0	0	0	align=left		8		0	4
6	align=left		24		2020	8	4	0	16	align=left		4	align=left		10	29	align=left	6
7	align=left		34		2009	17	1	3	10	align=left		6	align=left		33	33	align=left	23	align=left	6
8	align=left		25		2020	8	0	0	0	align=left		5	align=left		18	22	align=left	5	align=left	4
9	align=left		29		2020	6	0	11	23	align=left		4	align=left		16	26	align=left	7
10	align=left		26		2019	7	0	0	0	align=left		5	align=left		22	27	align=left	2
11	align=left		28		2016	12	3	0	12	align=left		4	align=left		14	25	align=left	1	align=left	1 2
12	align=left		25		2023	5	0	1	2	align=left		7	align=left		11	23
13	align=left		22		2023	4	0	0	0	align=left		7	align=left		0	22	align=left	2	align=left	4
14	align=left		22		2023	5	0	0	0	align=left		4	align=left		9	21	align=left	1
15	align=left		22		2024	3	0	0	0	align=left		7	align=left		7	11
16	align=left		26		2023	4	0	0	0	align=left		5	align=left		9	14
17	align=left		28		2017	6	0	0	0	align=left		10	align=left		32	32	align=left	1
18	align=left		26		2017	8	0	4	8	align=left		7	align=left		9	33	align=left	5	align=left	1 5
19	align=left		25		2022	4	3	0	12	align=left		5	align=left		4	11
20	align=left		18			0	0	0	0	align=left		9	align=left		3	3
21	align=left		19		2024	1	0	0	0	align=left		7	align=left		10	10	align=left	1
22	align=left		18			0	0	0	0	align=left		8	align=left		0	0
23	align=left		21		2021	6	2	0	8	align=left		8	align=left		9	21	align=left	1	align=left	2

Notes

• On 3 May 2024, the QRL announced the squad for the first match of the three-match series.^[21]
• On 9 May 2024, team positions (and jersey numbers) were announced.NRL^[22]
  
• On 10 May 2024, the QRL announced that Keilee Joseph would miss the first match due to an MCL injury and that Makenzie Weale would replace Joseph on the interchange bench.
• The first match of the series was played at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane on 16 May 2024.
• For the second match:
  • Emmanita Paki replaced the injured winger Emily Bass in the squad of twenty. Paki was selected on the interchange bench.
  • Lauren Brown moves from the interchange bench to centre.
  • Evania Pelite moves from centre to wing.
  • Ali Brigginshaw moves from lock to halfback, with Zahara Temara dropping to 18th-player/reserve.
  • Sienna Lofipo was elevated from 18th-player/reserve to lock.
• Emmanita Paki played for the Newcastle Knights in the 2022 NRLW season, scoring a try in the Grand Final. As at 29 May 2024, Paki was unsigned for the 2024 NRLW season.
• With the scores level, Lauren Brown kicked a field goal within the last three minutes of the second match of the series on 6 June 2024. Brown had kicked match-winning field goals in Rounds 2 and 6 of the 20023 NRLW season.
• For the third match:
  • Skyla Adams and the injured Sienna Lofipo were dropped from the squad.
  • Chelsea Lenarduzzi joined and Emily Bass re-joined the squad.
  • Keilee Joseph moved from the bench to lock.

Key to icons used in the above table

• Tests: and
• All Stars: Indigenous All Stars, Māori All Stars, All Stars

Coaches

Accurate records were not kept in early years of the Women's Interstate Challenge by either the QRL or the NSWRL. The following list of coaches is therefore incomplete.^[10]

Coach	Years	Games	Wins	Win %
Tony Ashton	1999	align=center	1	align=center	1	align=right	100%	^[23]
Karen Stuart	2001, 2007-2008	align=center	3	align=center	3	align=right	100%	^[24] ^[25]
Darrell Rogers	2005	align=center	1	align=center	1	align=right	100%	^[26]
Gordon Robson	2008	align=center	2	align=center	2	align=right	100%
Steve Belsham	2009–2011	align=center	3	align=center	3	align=right	100%	^[27] ^[28]
Beth Harlow	2012	align=center	1	align=center	1	align=right	100%
Brad Donald	2013–2016	align=center	4	align=center	2	align=right	50%	^[29]
Adrian Vowles	2017	align=center	1	align=center	0	align=right	0%	^[30]
Jason Hetherington	2018–2020	align=center	3	align=center	1	align=right	33%	^[31]
Tahnee Norris	2021–2024	align=center	7	align=center	4	align=right	57%

Table last updated: 28 June 2024

Results

2006

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 21 NRL game between the Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers.

Team list:

2007

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 22 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and North Queensland Cowboys.

Team list:

2008

The Woman's Interstate Challenge was played as a two-game series in 2008.

Game 1

Team list:

Game 2

Game 2 team was different to game 1 team.

2009

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 19 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and Canberra Raiders.

2010

Team list:

2011

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2011 State of Origin series.

Team list:

2012

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 16 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels.

Team list:

2013

Team list:

2014

Team list:

2015

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 16 NRL game between the North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

Team list:

2016

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 20 NRL game between the Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta Eels.

Team list:

2017

Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 20 NRL game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

Team list:

2018

The first "official" State of Origin game.

Team list:

2019

Team list:

2024

Under 19 Women's team

The Queensland extended squad for the 2023 Under 19 Women's match against New South Wales to be played on Thursday, 12 July 2023. The team is to be coached by Deanna Turner with assistance from Maia Tua-Davidson and Meg Ward.^[32]

-- class="sortable" --> border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" style="width:100%;" style="text-align:center;"
J#	Player	State Club	NRLW Club 2023	Position(s)	Qld U19					BMD Premiership		Harvey Norman U19
					Dbt					2022	2023	2022	2023
	Alyssa McCarthy	align=left					0	0	0	0		align=left	7m 1t 1g		align=left	5m 3t 12g
	Chantay Kiria-Ratu	align=left		align=left			2022	1	0	1	2	align=left	4m 3t 2g	align=left	5m 2t	align=left	2m 3t
	Dannii Perese	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0	align=left	8m	align=left	9m	align=left	3m 3t
	Delaney Claridge	align=left					0	0	0	0		align=left	4m 2t		align=left	4m 1t 6g
	Destiny Mino-Sinapati	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0		align=left	7m 2t	align=left	2m 2t	align=left	5m 6t
	Ebony Raftstrand-Smith	align=left		align=left	Cowboys			0	0	0	0			align=left	3m 6t	align=left	9m 6t
	Emily Bella	align=left					0	0	0	0	align=left	5m 1t 11g	align=left	2m 1t 1g	align=left	2m 3g	align=left	4m 1t 6g
	Emma Barnes	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0	align=left	7m	align=left	6m 2t	align=left	2m 1t	align=left	4m 4t
	Estanoa Faitala	align=left		align=left	Titans			0	0	0	0		align=left	6m	align=left	3m 1t	align=left	2m 1t
	Helen Uitualagi	align=left				2022	1	0	0	0			align=left	2m 1t	align=left	6m
	Jacinta Carter	align=left		align=left	Knights		2022	1	0	0	0	align=left	6m	align=left	8m	align=left	2m
	Libby Surha	align=left		align=left	Cowboys			0	0	0	0		align=left	6m 2t	align=left	3m	align=left	4m 3t
	Lily-Rose Kolc	align=left		align=left	Titans		2022	1	0	0	0	align=left	5m 2t	align=left	7m	align=left	3m 4t	align=left	3m 2t
	Lily Peacock	align=left		align=left	Cowboys			0	0	0	0		align=left	3m	align=left	3m	align=left	5m 2t
	Malaela Sua	align=left		align=left	Titans			0	0	0	0		align=left	7m 1t	align=left	1m 2t	align=left	3m 4t
	Matekino Kahukoti-Gray	align=left		align=left	Titans			0	0	0	0	align=left	7m	align=left	8m 1t	align=left	2m	align=left	2m 2t
	Montaya Hudson	align=left		align=left	Broncos			0	0	0	0		align=left	7m 3t	align=left	2m 2t	align=left	3m 3t
	Prue Peters	align=left					0	0	0	0		align=left	4m 1t	align=left	3m 2t 6g	align=left	5m 3t
	Rilee Jorgensen	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0	align=left	7m 1t 12g	align=left	8m 1t	align=left	3m 2t 10g
	Shaylee Joseph	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0		align=left	9m	align=left	3m 1t
	Sienna Laing	align=left					0	0	0	0		align=left	4m 4t		align=left	5m 1t
	Sienna Lofipo	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0		align=left	8m 3t	align=left	2m 1t	align=left	4m 2t
	Skyla Adams	align=left		align=left	Broncos			0	0	0	0				align=left	10m 8t
	Tavarna Papalii	align=left		align=left				0	0	0	0			align=left	3m 1t	align=left	8m 3t

Notes

• All members of the squad are yet to play in the NRLW.

See also

• Queensland Residents rugby league team
• Queensland under-20 rugby league team
• Queensland under-18 rugby league team
• Queensland under-16 rugby league team

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'You can't say no to a QLD jersey'. 17 July 2013. QRL.
2. Web site: Shift to State of Origin helps raise profile of women's rugby league. 20 June 2018. The Guardian.
3. Web site: Women's teams named for Origin. 18 July 2016. NRL.
4. Web site: Maroons look to end Blues winning streak. 20 June 2019. ABC.
5. Web site: Ballinger calls time on her Queensland career. 11 February 2020. QRL.
6. Web site: Women In League. 26 August 2009. Our Footy Team.
7. Web site: Women's Interstate Challenge ends in draw. 27 June 2015. NRL.
8. Web site: NSW women beat Queensland at last. 23 July 2016. NRL.
9. Web site: Sims, Taufa launch 2018 Womens Origin. 22 May 2018. NSWRL.
10. Web site: NSW down Queensland to win inaugural women's State of Origin. 22 June 2018. NRL.
11. Web site: Queensland finally break NSW stranglehold as Tamika Upton proves inspirational. 13 November 2020. The Courier Mail.
12. Web site: Norris to guide Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons. 23 March 2021. QRL.
13. Web site: Canberra to host 2022 Ampol Women's Origin. 9 Mar 2022. NRL. 9 Mar 2022.
14. Web site: ARLC announce expansion for NRLW, Women's State of Origin . 15 Mar 2022. NRL. 15 Mar 2022.
15. Web site: Stars set to earn fulltime deals in expanded NRLW . Walter . Brad . 15 Mar 2022. NRL. 15 Mar 2022.
16. Web site: 'It's the feeling of Origin': clamour for women's State of Origin. 18 July 2017. The Guardian.
17. Web site: Caslick, Pelite get green light to play for Maroons in Origin. 7 October 2020. NRL.
18. Web site: New eligibility rules for Women's State of Origin. 18 April 2019. QRL.
19. Web site: Four debutantes named for Maroons women's Origin. 6 June 2019. NRL.
20. Web site: Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons squad named for series decider. Hillier. Michael. 19 Jun 2024. QRL. 19 Jun 2024.
21. Web site: Maroons squad named for women's Origin opener. Hillier. Michael. 3 May 2024. QRL. 3 May 2024.
22. Web site: Women's State of Origin Team Lists: Game One. 9 May 2024. NRL. 9 May 2024.
23. . 30 June 1999. Curtain Raiser 2 - Women's Origin Match Qld v NSW . Big League . 80 . 17 . State Library of New South Wales.
24. . 18 July 2001. Curtain Raiser - Qld Women's Rugby League v NSW Women's Rugby League. Big League . 82 . State Library of New South Wales.
25. Web site: Queensland Women Set For Own Origin Battle. 1 Aug 2007. QRL. Wayback Machine Internet Archive. 14 Mar 2022.
26. News: Open Both Eyes, Sydney. Courier Mail. 19 Aug 2005. 4. Dick. Barry.
27. News: Women want a clean sheet. Cairns Post, The. 16 Jul 2009. 58.
28. News: Mackay women in state squad. Mackay Daily Mercury. 8 Jun 2010. 32.
29. Web site: 2014 Women's Interstate Challenge. 13 Jul 2014. NRL.com. 8 May 2020.
30. Web site: FINAL TEAMS - Harvey Norman Interstate Challenge. 23 Jul 2017. NSWRL. 22 Mar 2021.
31. Web site: Queensland name debutants for women’s State of Origin. Arnold. Rikki-Lee. 8 Jun 2018. Courier Mail. 15 Apr 2021.
32. Web site: Queensland Under 19 women's squad named. Hillier. Michael. 7 Jun 2023. QRL. 11 Jun 2023.