Women’s State of Origin Stars Push for Schedule Change
A number of standout players from the women’s State of Origin series have called for the interstate competition to be moved to a later date in the year, following New South Wales’ historic 3-0 sweep over Queensland in Game 3 on Thursday night. The Blues secured a 12-4 victory on the Gold Coast, marking the first time a team has achieved a clean sweep since the format was changed to a three-game series in 2024.
Blues captain Isabelle Kelly was named player of the match, while NSW second-rower Jasmin Meakes won the Katrina Fanning Medal as player of the series. Kelly, who was part of the 2016 NSW team that achieved their first win on the same ground, expressed her pride in creating history once again.
Kelly echoed the sentiments of Queensland skipper Lauren Brown, who has been vocal about the need to move the Origin series to coincide with the NRLW season, which typically starts in July. With players currently in pre-season training, the early timing of the series meant that fitness and skill levels were not at their peak. However, this did not detract from the excitement or competitiveness of the games.
Despite the challenges, Kelly acknowledged the need to reconsider the timing of the Origin series to make it an even better spectacle. “We have had a great prep with having it earlier, but I do see the bonus of having it later in our season and mixed in with our NRLW season,” she said. “But then something needs to change as well. We do need to play (the NRLW season) longer.”
Maroons Skipper Criticises Origin Schedule
Queensland veteran Lauren Brown, who led her state for the first time on Thursday night, described the current schedule as “unfair” for the players. She called it “crazy” that the first competitive games of the year for women’s football were being played on such a high-stakes stage.
“I think it is crazy that our first footy for the year is meant to be the highest quality games of the year,” Brown said. “It is unfair to the players and to the product to expect us to be at our best quality of football when it is our first few.”
She added that if this were the men’s game, the Origin series would be considered trial games. “I think the majority of girls would love it to be intertwined with the NRLW season. However, we play with the cards we are dealt and this year Origin is at this time. We had a great preparation and pre-series, but would love to have more footy under the belt before approaching Origin.”
The NRLW does not have the depth to sustain a mid-week Origin series like the men’s competition, meaning the women’s season would need to be extended if the interstate series were held later. This would involve longer contracts for players, with costs and broadcast factors complicating the situation. However, Kelly believes the women’s game needs to grow in key areas.
“I think it would be great to have a sit down and talk about what the next steps for our women’s game is,” Kelly said. “It has been talked about having our (NRLW) season extended or playing each other twice. We just want to play footy and put the best product out there… and that is one thing we will push for.”
