Women’s rugby league enters uncharted territory on Thursday, as the inaugural third-and-deciding State of Origin clash in front of another potential record attendance in Townsville will determine the winners of a historic series.
The women’s Origin crowd record has already been broken twice this year, and Newcastle’s 25,492 turnout for game two has a chance of being beaten again at the 27,000-seat home of North Queensland rugby league.
Despite the unprecedented setting and never-before-seen interest, the game is not without one of State of Origin’s great traditions: a reluctance to accept the tag of favourites.
“Queensland are playing at another Queensland ground [after game one at Suncorp] and they were winners last year,” Sky Blues co-captain Kezie Apps said on Wednesday. “We’re definitely still the underdogs.”
Queensland took home the shield at the same venue last season, winning the two-match series on aggregate despite losing the second clash 18-14. But this year New South Wales were well on top in game two in Newcastle, having won the opener and enjoying a 10-0 lead in the second, before they lost to a late Maroons field goal that squared the series.
Sky Blues Kylie Hilder said the manner of the defeat hurt.
“The sheds wasn’t a great scene after the game, they were pretty down and out, and mainly because they had put in such a great effort for the majority of the game,” Hilder said. “But they know that they can’t switch off.”
The team has brought in a mind coach this season, and Hilder said he has helped the players put the result of the second game behind them.
“He’s been really, really good, especially after the loss,” she said. “The girls are the hardest on themselves, so to have someone else other than my voice speak about it, it’s been really beneficial.”
Hilder has retained the same squad for the third game, but Queensland coach Tahnee Norris has been forced into changes, with a knee injury to impressive young forward Sienna Lofipo bringing Keilee Joseph into the starting 13. Chelsea Lenarduzzi comes onto the bench after not playing Origin since 2022.
Norris has used Lauren Brown in a variety of roles already this series. With the No 4 on her back, Brown played mostly hooker in Newcastle three weeks ago, yet was also called upon to kick the winning field goal. Norris said Brown will be her “X-factor” on Thursday.
“She provides that utility factor if we do need to move her round, she’s got a wealth of knowledge and a skill set most players don’t have with her kicking game,” she said.
Both Apps and her Sky Blues co-captain Isabelle Kelly celebrate their 10th Origin contest on Thursday, and were full of praise for each other. Kelly described Apps as a “Labrador” for being the “friendliest human”, and Apps offered a description of a “Pug” in return.
“She just gets us out of trouble, gets us on the front foot, and she’s just so aggressive in defence,” Apps said.
The pair’s time with New South Wales pre-dates the women’s State of Origin concept which launched in 2018, and they have 27 combined appearances for the Sky Blues.
Apps called on Townsville’s rugby league community last week to break the crowd record again. They appear to have delivered, with only a handful of rows and single seats still available.
And Hilder has called for the duration of the contest to be extended from 70 minutes to 80, bringing it into line with men’s rugby league, a view shared by her opposing coach Norris.
“For these girls, I think they’re ready for that,” Norris said. “It’s a good time to actually start looking at that and seeing whether we can go to the 80 minutes, and also expanding the NRLW.” The club competition, which starts next month, will add two teams next year.
Apps, 33, said the game’s rapid progress isn’t lost on her. “Every year that we’ve played, something new has happened and the growth of it has been amazing,” she said. “For us to to be there through it all and to witness the three-game series is definitely a really special moment.”
