Queensland allowing New South Wales players to feature in their statewide competition in the lead-up to Origin may be seen by some as self-sabotage, but Maroons captain Ali Brigginshaw has welcomed the move and said it's made her even stronger.
With the NSW state-based women's competition not starting until July this year – after the Origin series is complete – several Blues stars took the unique step to feature in the Queensland BMD Premiership competition, with the likes of Keeley Davis, Kezie Apps and the Southwell sisters all running out on Queensland turf.
Brigginshaw has featured alongside Davis and Apps (and fellow Maroon Shenae Ciesiolka) with the Western Clydesdales, who currently sit second on the ladder and are poised for a grand final shot in their debut season.
The Maroons star held no ill-feelings towards her Sky Blue counterparts joining the Queensland competition, going one step further to point out how their involvement is strengthening her state's pathways system for the years to come.
“Having Kezie and Keeley and a few of the New South Wales girls come up, I think it's helping strengthen my game in particular being able to play with some experience,” Brigginshaw said.
“I know that those girls are bringing experience to the Clydesdales – it being the team’s inaugural year – you need to try to guide people off-field and on-field. You've got young players who've never played at that level, so with that experience joining us, I do believe it's helping.
“I know they're up here playing some footy, but I believe it's helping us as a statewide comp to up-skill and pass on knowledge to those girls and those teams that have never played before.”
Match: Maroons v Sky Blues
Game 1 -
home Team
Maroons
away Team
Sky Blues
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Davis and Apps joined Hannah and Jesse Southwell as some of the names in contention for NSW jerseys who have chosen to fly-in, fly-out to give themselves what they deem to be their best chance to be prepared for Origin.
The change from NSWRL in electing to start their competition late on will see the teams operate more as reserve-grade sides for NRLW teams, similar to the way in which the men's NSW Cup teams do for their NRL counterparts.
Blues back Tiana Penitani told NSWRL.com that she doesn’t feel there will be a "fracturing of preparations among Origin teammates" due to the new women’s calendar, rather it would allow them to focus more fully on their Origin preparations.
“The way I see it is that it’s a bit of an advantage for us NSW girls because we’re not distracted at club level to fulfil those commitments as well as balancing State of Origin training and the development camps we need to do,” Penitani said.
“There is a handful of players up there playing in Queensland and that’s awesome for them to get some footy under their belt, but I feel there’s so many ways around that down here.”
Titans and Blues duo Shaylee Bent and Jaime Chapman have played in the BMD Premiership for several seasons, while Olivia Kernick has also recently moved to the Gold Coast and is playing for Tweed Seagulls alongside Chapman.
Kernick said that all aspiring NSW players had to make a decision as to what they thought was best for them to earn an Origin jersey.
“It's pretty difficult at the moment (to get everyone together) – you've got me in the squad, Chappo [Jaime Chapman] and Shaylee Bent that live up here, so we've been able to play BMD and then some girls have been lucky enough to get a BMD team and they fly in and fly out for the weekend and play," Kernick said.
“The girls not playing have been doing Origin trainings for a few weeks now, just trying to get a run together. They're obviously not compulsory to go to, but there's no club team trainings happening down there, so it’s good for the girls to get ball in hand and do a bit of conditioning.”
Queensland will name their team for Game One of the three-game series on Friday, with the series kicking off in Brisbane followed by games in Newcastle and Townsville the day after Men's Origin I and II respectively.
“We’ve had a camp and Tahnee [Maroons coach Tahnee Norris] mentioned it's going to take all 30 of us in that squad to be a part of the series," Ciesiolka said.
“It's the first time we've ever had three games with the State of Origin, so mentally and physically, it's going to be very tough.
“We're going to need a lot of girls and everyone will be willing.”
