State of Origin 2021: Female coaches to create history in NSW-Queensland clash
The women’s game is the fastest growing part of rugby league and this year’s State of Origin match at Sunshine Coast Stadium will contain another first for the code.
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A new dawn is rising for women’s State of Origin with two female coaches going head-to-head for the first time but the game’s leaders still believe a three-game series is “a while away”.
The NRL has announced this year’s women’s State of Origin blockbuster on June 25 will be played at Sunshine Coast Stadium for the second year in a row as Queensland look to retain the shield for another year.
The Maroons claimed their first win under the women’s State of Origin banner last year with a thrilling 24-18 victory over the Blues and have already begun preparations for this year’s match.
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Queensland’s extended squad met for their first pre-camp training session last Monday night at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in Nathan and new head coach Tahnee Norris has been left thoroughly impressed.
“I’m really looking forward to some of the young girls coming through,” Norris said.
Maroons captain Ali Brigginshaw said she would “eventually” like to see the series become a best-of-three concept but believed it was unlikely while the players were still working full-time.
“Definitely eventually but us girls still work full-time so that’s going to be a while away until we get into a more professional space,” Brigginshaw said. “It’s a lot to ask – even going into two weeks of camp because that’s two weeks you have to take off work.
“We are away from that but it doesn’t mean whenever we come onto this field, whether it’s one, two or three games, we’ll be giving it our all.”
Blues coach Kylie Hilder backed up Brigginshaw’s comments and said she was thrilled to just see a one-game blockbuster as the female game continued to grow.
“It just puts more emphasis on playing that one game and we’ve got one shot at it,” Hilder said. “Hopefully, we’ll get a full stadium here.
“It’s an interesting concept but until they are full-time athletes, I see it as just a one game series.
“I’m excited that we’ve just got one game because years gone by we weren’t even getting this so we have to make sure this one game is really good and a great spectacle of footy.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo also praised the growth of the women’s game.
“Women’s rugby league is the fastest-growing part of our game and this year we will create history with two female coaches, that’s a great acknowledgment of the talent in our female ranks,” Abdo said.
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