The Queensland women's rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons", after the colour of their jersey, the team compete in the annual Women's State of Origin game against arch-rivals New South Wales. Coached by Nathan Cross and captained by Tamika Upton, the team is administered by the Queensland Rugby League.
Until 2017, the team competed in the Women's Interstate Challenge before the game was rebranded as State of Origin in 2018. From 1999 to 2015, the Maroons went on an unprecedented 17-year undefeated streak.
History In 1999, Queensland played New South Wales for the first time at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium, with the Maroons' winning 18–16. The win started an undefeated streak that would last for 17 years. The team were originally nicknamed the "Brolgas".
In 2015, Queensland failed to defeat New South Wales for the first time, drawing with them 4–all at Townsville's 1300SMILES Stadium.
In 2016, New South Wales defeated Queensland for the first time, winning 8–4 at Cbus Super Stadium.
In 2018, the Women's Interstate Challenge was rebranded as State of Origin. On 22 June 2018, New South Wales won the first game under the State of Origin banner, defeating Queensland 16–10 at North Sydney Oval. In 2020, Queensland won their first game under the Origin banner, defeating New South Wales 24–18.
On 23 March 2021, Tahnee Norris, who played 13 interstate games for Queensland, was announced as new head coach of the side.
In March 2022, it was announced that the one fixture in 2022 would be played at Canberra Stadium on 24 June, and that from 2023 onwards, two Women's State of Origin matches would be played each season.
Players
Prior to 2019, the Queensland and New South Wales teams were largely selected under residency rules, meaning a number of players represented both states. Tahnee Norris, who captained Queensland, and Natalie Dwyer, both represented New South Wales before moving to Queensland, while Tarah Westera represented Queensland before moving south.
In 2019, the eligibility rules were revised to be more inline with the men's State of Origin rules. The residency rule was removed, which saw New Zealand representatives Maitua Feterika (Queensland) and Nita Maynard (New South Wales) ruled ineligible. Rona Peters was also ruled ineligible as she had previously represented New Zealand. This was later overturned and she was given special dispensation, as she had retired from international rugby league in 2015, before she first represented Queensland in 2016.
Current squad On 22 April 2026, the QRL announced the squad for the first match of the three-match series, subsequently played on 30 April 2026. On 6 May 2026, the squad for the second match on 14 May 2026, was announced with one change. The squad announced for game three was adjusted for a further three injuries.
Table last updated 29 May 2026. J# Player Age Position(s) Queensland NRLW Tests All StarsDbtPts2026 Club1 21 2026 1 0 0 0 Titans 13 13 1 2 28 2020 13 1 0 4 Dragons 0 40 3 3 22 2025 5 2 0 8 Eels 14 14 4 22 2026 3 0 0 0 Titans 12 12 5 23 2025 5 1 0 4 Cowboys 30 38 66 20 2026 3 0 0 0 Sharks 13 24 2 7 31 2020 12 0 19 39 Titans 35 45 7 8 23 2026 3 1 0 4 Roosters 40 40 10 9 22 2021 11 2 0 8 Broncos 29 41 3 210 28 2019 13 0 0 0 Titans 43 48 2 11 21 2024 7 1 0 4 Titans 24 24 4 12 27 2023 11 1 1 6 Broncos 33 45 13 24 2023 9 0 0 0 Eels 0 45 6 614 24 2023 8 0 0 0 Cowboys 30 42 1 15 31 2021 2 0 0 0 Broncos 31 37 8 16 22 2026 1 0 0 0 Broncos 0 15 17 23 2025 5 1 0 4 Broncos 39 39 18 30 2017 9 1 0 4 Broncos 55 55 1 19 28 2023 7 0 0 0 Raiders 29 34 20 0 0 0 0 Sharks 28 28 19 2026 1 0 0 0 Titans 7 7 1 28 2020 12 3 0 12 Broncos 46 46 10 29 2020 12 5 0 20 Broncos 24 50 6 2 23 2024 9 1 0 4 Cowboys 20 24 Notes Lauren Brown kicked a field goal within the last three minutes of the second match of the 2024 series. Brown had kicked match-winning field goals in Rounds 2 and 6 of the 2023 NRLW season. Incumbent captain Ali Brigginshaw, who made 20 appearances for Queensland, announced her retirement from representative rugby league in January 2026. Incumbent five-eighth Tarryn Aiken was unavailable due to injury. The squad announced for game two saw: Jasmine Peters brought in to replaced the injured Phoenix-Raine Hippi on the wing. Otesa Pule named to start at prop with Makenzie Weale reverting to the bench. Destiny Brill and Brianna Clark elevated from 18th and 19th players to the interchange bench. Chelsea Lenarduzzi and Emma Manzelmann were dropped to the reserves. Destiny Brill started at dummy-half ahead of Jada Ferguson. Ferguson scored her try from dummy-half. Emma Manzelmann was elevated to the interchange bench ahead of Shenae Ciesiolka. Manzelmann also spent game time at dummy-half. The squad announced for game three saw: Destiny Mino-Sinapati and Shenae Ciesiolka elevated from the extended bench to replace, respectively, the injured Tamika Upton at fullback and Julia Robinson on the wing. Lillian Yarrow brought into the squad and onto the interchange bench to replace the injured Makenzie Weale. Sophie Holyman and Georgia Ravics brought into the squad and onto the extended bench. A shuffle of jersey numbers for the three dummy-halves: Destiny Brill to 9, Emma Manzelmann to 14, and Jada Ferguson to 17. Under the change to State of Origin eligibility rules announced by the NRL in February 2026, New Zealand Kiwi Ferns representatives Brianna Clark and Otesa Pule became eligible for Queensland. Clark had previously played for Queensland in 2021 prior to declaring her national allegiance to New Zealand. Shenae Ciesiolka, Keilee Joseph, and Lillian Yarrow changed clubs between the conclusion of the 2025 NRLW season and the 2026 State of Origin series. Key to icons used in the above table Tests: , , and All Stars: Indigenous All Stars and Māori All Stars.
Coaches Accurate records were not kept in early years of the Women's Interstate Challenge by either the QRL or the NSWRL. The following list of coaches is therefore incomplete. CoachYearsGamesWinsWin % Tony Ashton 1999 1 1 100% Karen Stuart 2001, 2007-2008 3 3 100% Darrell Rogers 2005 1 1 100% Gordon Robson 2008 2 2 100% Steve Belsham 2009–2011 3 3 100% Beth Harlow 2012 1 1 100% Brad Donald 2013–2016 4 2 50% Adrian Vowles 2017 1 0 0% Jason Hetherington 2018–2020 3 1 33% Tahnee Norris 2021–2025 10 5 50% Nathan Cross 2026 3 0 0% Table last updated: 29 May 2026
Results Note: Queensland score is given first.
DateOpponentScoreCompetitionVenueAttendanceVideoRef.12 July 1995 0–48 1995 NZ Women's tourDavies Park, Brisbane —15 July 1995 0–36Seagulls Stadium, Tweed Heads —24 July 1996 8–221996 GB Women's tourGilbert Park, Brisbane —4 July 1999 18–161999 Interstate ChallengeANZ Stadium, Brisbane9 July 2000 New South Wales – 2000 Interstate ChallengeANZ Stadium, Brisbane —22 July 2001 New South Wales 34–142001 Interstate ChallengeANZ Stadium, Brisbane —23 June 2002 New South Wales 26–16 2002 Interstate Challenge Ipswich —17 July 2002 10–502002 GB Women's tourIpswich Brothers Leagues Club≈ 1,050 — 2003 New South Wales – 2003 Interstate Challenge — 24 July 2004 New South Wales 40–82004 Interstate Challenge(QLD win series 2–0)Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane —31 July 2004 New South Wales 46–8Newcastle —6 August 2005 New South Wales 20–182005 Interstate ChallengeHenson Park, Marrickville —30 July 2006 New South Wales 40–242006 Interstate ChallengeSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane —13 August 2007 New South Wales 38–162007 Interstate ChallengeCUA Stadium, Penrith —8 July 2008 New South Wales 8–62008 Interstate Challenge(QLD win series 2–0)CUA Stadium, Penrith —9 August 2008 New South Wales 46–4Kougari Oval, Brisbane 800 —18 July 2009 New South Wales 20–142009 Interstate ChallengeCUA Stadium, Penrith —26 June 2010 New South Wales 36–62010 Interstate ChallengeAlbert Park, Gympie —25 May 2011 New South Wales 26–02011 Interstate ChallengeSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane —23 June 2012 New South Wales 34–102012 Interstate ChallengeCentrebet Stadium, Penrith —7 April 2013 New South Wales 30–122013 Interstate ChallengeDavies Park, Brisbane —19 July 2014 New South Wales 26–102014 Interstate ChallengeLeichhardt Oval, Sydney —27 June 2015 New South Wales 4–42015 Interstate Challenge1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville —23 July 2016 New South Wales 4–82016 Interstate ChallengeCbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast —23 July 2017 New South Wales 6–222017 Interstate ChallengeWIN Stadium, Wollongong —22 June 2018 New South Wales 10–162018 State of OriginNorth Sydney Oval, Sydney 6,824 21 June 2019 New South Wales 4–142019 State of OriginNorth Sydney Oval, Sydney 10,51513 November 2020 New South Wales 24–182020 State of OriginSunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast 4,83325 June 2021 New South Wales 8–62021 State of OriginSunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast 7,18324 June 2022 New South Wales 14–202022 State of OriginGIO Stadium, Canberra 11,32121 June 2023 New South Wales 18–102023 State of Origin(1–1, QLD win on aggregate score)Commbank Stadium, Sydney 12,97222 June 2023 New South Wales 14–18Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 18,27516 May 2024 New South Wales 12–222024 State of Origin(QLD win series 2–1) Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 25,4926 June 2024 New South Wales 11–10McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle 25,78227 June 2024 New South Wales 22–6Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 22,8191 May 2025 New South Wales 12–322025 State of Origin(NSW win series 2–1) Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 26,02215 May 2025 New South Wales 6–26Allianz Stadium, Sydney16,02629 May 2025 New South Wales 18–14 McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle 21,91230 April 2026 New South Wales6–11 2026 State of Origin(NSW win series 3-0)McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle 20,17914 May 2026 New South Wales10–14 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 23,846 28 May 2026 New South Wales4–12 Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast 11,816
Margins and streaks Biggest winning margins Margin Score Opponent Venue Date 16 226 New South Wales Queensland Country Bank Stadium 27 June 2024 8 266 New South Wales CommBank Stadium 1 June 2023 6 2418 New South Wales Sunshine Coast Stadium 13 Nov 2020 4 1814 New South Wales McDonald Jones Stadium 29 May 2025
Biggest losing margins Margin Score Opponent Venue Date 20 1232 New South Wales Suncorp Stadium 1 May 2025 20 626 New South Wales Allianz Stadium 15 May 2025 10 1222 New South Wales Suncorp Stadium 16 May 2024 10 414 New South Wales North Sydney Oval 21 June 2019
Match details 2006 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 21 NRL game between the Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers.
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2007 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 22 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and North Queensland Cowboys.
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2008 The Woman's Interstate Challenge was played as a two-game series in 2008.
Game 1
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Game 2
Game 2 team was different to game 1 team.
2009 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 19 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and Canberra Raiders.
2010
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2011 Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2011 State of Origin series.
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2012 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 16 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels.
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2013
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2014
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2015 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 16 NRL game between the North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
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2016 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 20 NRL game between the Gold Coast Titans and Parramatta Eels.
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2017 Played as a curtain raiser to the Round 20 NRL game between the St George Illawarra Dragons and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
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2018 The first "official" State of Origin game.
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2019
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2020
2021
2022
2023 Game I
Game II
2024 Game 1
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Game 3
2025 Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
2026 Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Under 19 Women's team