As the NRLW and overall female game continues to evolve, spots in the annual Origin series are becoming more and more fiercely contested.
The NRL.com experts break down the players most likely to break through and earn state honours in the women's game in 2025.
Who will make their women's Origin debut?
Brad Walter: Dragons fullback Teagan Berry has been a member of the NSW Origin squad for the past two years without playing a game but 2025 may finally be the year she makes her debut. Possessing electric speed, Berry is the leading tryscorer in NRLW history, boasting a remarkable strike rate of 29 tries in 32 appearances for the Red V. The Sky Blues struggled to score points last season and the 22-year-old may be the X-factor new coach John Strange needs as he seeks to overturn last season's historic 2-1 series loss.
Berry hits the jets
Cameron Mee: Eels Abbi Church shocked plenty when she finished second in the NRLW Dally M voting, the fullback's form earning her selection in the Jillaroos squad for the Pacific Championships. While she did not get the chance to take the field, the 26-year-old learnt plenty from the experience and will surely be in new Sky Blues coach John Strange's sights. Breaking into the star-studded NSW team is no easy feat but Church boasts a unique ability to evade defenders and could provide a dose of unpredictability as a bench utility to break a tight game open in the second half.
Colleen Edwards: Queensland are blessed with plenty of depth in the halves, with Jillaroos skipper Ali Brigginshaw and Golden Boot nominee Tarryn Aiken forming a winning combination that has kept Maroons vice-captain Zahara Temara out of the line-up, but rookie Georgia Hannaway would not look out of place in the squad. The Brisbane-born Sharks five-eighth had a debut season to remember, helping Cronulla to the grand final and looks set to move into the halfback role next year with Tayla Preston moving to the Bulldogs. Having come off the interchange in her NRLW debut, the former Australian Sevens representative could be a viable utility back option on the Queensland bench.
Corey Rosser: A tenacious competitor who is just as comfortable trading blows with the big bodies in the middle as she is laying on try assists out wide, Jocelyn Kelleher would fit right in at Origin level. Last year the Gosford product outplayed plenty of bigger-name opponents while in the halves for the Roosters and after finishing in the competition's top five for line engagements, try assists and line break assists, there's a fair argument to suggest she's still underrated. Her versatility would be a huge plus at that level and make her an ideal No.14, while a starting role in the halves isn't out of the question either.
Kelleher unleashes a huge spiral bomb
Martin Lenehan: Cowboys flyer Jakiya Whitfeld scored tries for fun in 2024, crossing six times in nine NRLW games before a stunning five-try haul in the Jillaroos' 84-0 win over the Orchids in the Pacific Championships. Whitfeld's elite finishing ability earned her a call-up into the Blues squad for the historic three-game Origin series and she was 18th player in Game One and Game Three. The 23-year-old flyer has already made her mark on the international stage and it's only a matter of time before she dons the blue jersey and gets the chance to match motors with the likes of Julia Robinson and Emily Bass in the Origin arena.
