Latest news with #AliBrigginshaw
Herald Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Ali Brigginshaw's wife calls out disgusting social media abuse after State of Origin, NRL news
The NRL world is rallying around Queensland Maroons skipper Ali Brigginshaw after her partner Kate revealed the vile social media abuse that had been sent their way. Brigginshaw and the Maroons find themselves down 2-0 in the State of Origin series with the Blues looking for a clean sweep next week at McDonald Jones Stadium. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But in the wake of the second contest, when the Blues prevailed 26-6 at Allianz Stadium, Kate revealed the family had been targeted by horrific online abuse. Taking to Instagram she exposed the extent to which some messages had gone with one telling the family to 'kill themselves'. 'Mental health affects everyone, in particular athletes,' she wrote. 'Anyone in the public eye is aware they open themselves up to opinion and scrutiny, however there is a fine line between a reasonable comment/dm and what is honestly far beyond anything even remotely reasonable, which is what Ali and our family have been subjected to for the last month. 'Bashing people on social media isn't cool. Ali Brigginshaw (left) and Kate at the Dally M Awards. Picture: Jonathan Ng The Maroons skipper was targeted by vile abuse. (Photo by) 'You think you're showing something bad about someone else when you're really showing something bad about yourself. 'Normal people don't go around vomiting hate about individuals they know absolutely nothing about, or send derogatory, sexist or cruel dms encouraging someone to kill themselves. 'Ironically, the same people showing support for MH (mental health) awareness and 'it ain't weak to speak' are the same people leaving comments and sending those disgusting dms. 'It is incredibly damaging and dangerous and I seriously encourage all those who do participate to think before leaving a comment or sending a dm about whether they would say those things to someone they loved.' The NRL world is rallying around Queensland Maroons skipper Ali Brigginshaw. (Photo by) Kate's post attracted heavy support from those across the NRL community with fans rushing to throw their arms around the family. One wrote on X: 'The absolute gutless dogs who are threatening Ali Brigginshaw (or indeed anyone) online need to get the book thrown at them.' A second added: 'You could not meet a nicer person than Ali Brigginshaw. A true Queenslander, one who should be respected and not abused by cowards.' A third posted: 'It's one thing to comment about her playing ability or career moves. It's a totally different thing to comment on her personal life or her as a person. That goes for any human on the planet. Ali has done more for international women's sport than any bloke in this comment section who probably have daughters that see her as a role model.' The NRL community has rallied around the veteran. (Photo by) Brigginshaw has been a stalwart of the Maroons' State of Origin squad since making her debut back in 2018. Throughout an illustrious career, the 35-year-old has pulled on the Queensland jersey 11 times while also playing 25 Tests for Australia. The NRLW icon will be hoping to go out on top and avoid a clean sweep when the two states lock horns next week. While there was concern she might miss out on selection for the third and final game of the series, selectors elected to give the veteran a shot at an Origin swan song. The third State of Origin contest will take place on May 29 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle from 7:45pm (AEST). Originally published as Maroons star's wife calls out disgusting social media abuse
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Women's State of Origin III quick hits: Brigginshaw not retiring, Kelly emotional over try blunder
Ali Brigginshaw has no plans to retire, Isabelle Kelly gets emotional about her first-half blunder, and NSW unearths an Origin heel. Here are five quick hits from the conclusion to the Women's State of Origin series. Ali Brigginshaw became the target of some justified criticism after struggling as Queensland lost the first two games of this year's State of Origin series. Unfortunately, along with that came horrible, inexcusable vitriol on social media, with her wife revealing this week they had been told to "kill themselves". It came as coach Tahnee Norris made a shrewd reshuffle in an attempt to spark the Maroons and save some state pride. Lauren Brown and Tarryn Aiken formed a more dynamic attacking halves pairing in Game III, while Brigginshaw came on after the 15-minute mark and stayed for the duration, orchestrating from the middle of the field as a dummy half and link option at lock. After the game ended a "really tough" week, 35-year-old Brigginshaw was adamant she had no plans to retire. "Tonight I remembered why I play footy. I love it and I got to do that again tonight," she said. "I do want to keep playing on. I think people just look at your age and think that's enough. I still love my footy. "I'm not saying people have to pick me just because I've been here before. I'm really proud to represent Queensland. I do anything, I play any position I'm asked." Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ Win or lose, the Newcastle fans would get to see their team lift the shield on Thursday night, so the vibes were high in the lead-up to kick-off. But immediately the fans, many of whom were still yet to find their seats, were left rubbing their eyes as the Maroons offered up one of the worst kick-offs you'll ever see. Trying to be unorthodox to unsettle the rampant Blues, they tried to go short (and did) but barely kicked the ball 5 metres forward before it skidded over the sideline. Then, with NSW trying to recover after Chelsea Lenarduzzi's 65th-minute crashball try, Jesse Southwell tried a similar kick and actually nailed it. Right winger Jaime Chapman appeared to wait just long enough before grabbing the ball just after it crossed the red 40m line. But everyone, including the Blues, stopped in their tracks, forgetting the golden rule: Play to the whistle. Eventually, the whistle came from Belinda Sharpe and the penalty was blown, even if it didn't seem right. Isabelle Kelly's botched try in the 21st minute felt like a bit of a funny sideshow. She dove in untouched after a lovely left-side shift and the try was awarded, but before Southwell could take the conversion, referee Sharpe blew the whistle for a bunker review. It did look very easy? Was there an obstruction in the lead-up? Had a Queenslander hit her as she scored and we were looking at an eight-point try? No. As it turned out, she had been held up. By herself. The ball had never managed to make contact with the ground through her own right forearm. A pedantic, if technically correct, implementation of the rule we could all share a derisive chuckle about in a dead rubber, but not Kelly. With the margin ultimately only four points, the NSW captain couldn't get through her explanation of the event even after lifting the shield. "I'm obviously someone that gets quite disappointed when I let my team down, it makes me a bit emotional, like right now. Sorry," Kelly told reporters before choking back tears and taking a minute to compose herself as coach John Strange hailed his skipper as "an inspiration" to her teammates, the next generation and Strange himself. It was a reminder of how much this series and this game means to Kelly and her ilk. ABC Sport is live blogging every round of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2025. Origin loves its villains, and the Blues might just have one in Jayme Fressard. The Roosters winger was given the nod on the left flank of this formidable Blues backline this season and didn't disappoint, with four tries in her first series. But the fiery 27-year-old also added a bit of mongrel in Game III, getting in the face of every Maroons player who dared to challenge her, including but not limited to Sienna Lofipo, Shenae Ciesiolka and Lauren Brown. As she left the field at half-time, like the best heels, she acted like she was an innocent victim in all this and it was the Queenslanders who started it all. "I feel like that's all they've got, just try to get us angry, so keep going," Fressard told Nine. As NSW searched desperately for a fissure in Queensland's 12-woman defensive line after the siren, it was fitting that it was the veteran Brigginshaw who perfectly read and pinched Yasmin Clydsdale's pass. She could go to ground and her teammates would swarm her in joy. Instead, she kept running for 20 metres. OK, sure, you can't pass up a shot at a runaway try. But she was mowed down and then … she offloaded. Peculiar. Emily Bass caught the ball on the right wing. Surely she would just hoof it over the sideline, right? Nope. She jinked in-field and, perhaps reading from her skipper's songbook, she passed too. Debutant Georgia Hannaway had the misfortune of being the support player in position and was suitably stunned to receive the pass under pressure and couldn't handle, giving the ball back to the Blues right on halfway. "They're in front, what are they doing?" Phil Gould cried from the Nine commentary box. Fortunately for the Maroons, Tarryn Aiken and Julia Robinson arrived on the scene to tackle NSW fullback Abbi Church and officially end the match. It was like the Maroons had somehow pulled off the Great Escape, but hung around to do some sick wheelies just in front of the guard tower, and it almost cost them dearly.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
'NEED to be playing NRLW!'
State of Origin: Tahnee Norris and Ali Brigginshaw addresses their concerns about the current NRLW & Women's State of Origin schedule.
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
How the Maroons salvaged Origin pride, as Southwell proves she's the next great halfback
All it took was a look from Maroons veteran Ali Brigginshaw, and Chelsea Lenarduzzi knew it was on. With the Maroons trailing by two in the final minutes of a State of Origin series they'd already lost, Brigginshaw eyeballed Lenarduzzi from dummy half, and popped it up for the bustling forward to barge over for one of her 'favourite plays', and the match winner. Lenarduzzi didn't play in Game I, in Game II she was added onto the bench and failed to fire, but as a late addition to the starting side in Game III, she thrived to prevent a series whitewash. The Broncos' prop effectively bulldozed the Blues in her opening stint, tiring their defenders to help lay the foundation for the Maroons' opener. And in a game littered with momentum swings – and handling errors – it was a defining 11 minutes, proving the Queensland pack wouldn't be outmuscled this time around. There was an impressive supporting cast who stepped into the spotlight throughout the game, including Tarryn Aiken who cast aside a sub-par kicking game in the first half, to orchestrate much of the Maroons' mayhem in the second. Julia Robinson was an immense defensive presence — and constant nuisance for her opposing winger Jamie Chapman, who gave as good as she got. And while Brigginshaw was well below her best this series, which seems likely to be her last, it was fitting that she set up the match-winner and took the final intercept to snuff out any hopes of a Blues comeback after the siren. But for all the positives the Maroons will take from securing the consolation prize in the dead rubber, it's a series that the Blues undoubtedly deserved to win, and where new superstars were forged. Reigning Dally M medallist Olivia Kernick won the Nellie Doherty medal for the player of the series, largely off the back of a brilliant Game II, but this series was Jesse Southwell's coming of age. Once again, her kicking was on point, her passing perfection, and her vision unparalleled. Her hand in the Blues' second try was especially magnetic. At first receiver approaching the Maroons' tryline she held the ball for barely a second, which felt like so much longer, such was the way she feigned the slightest dummy, carefully surveyed her options out wide, then delivered a pinpoint two-player cutout for Jayme Fressard to score. Time is something the great players have a command of, and with each game, Southwell is mastering it. And while it's unfair, and premature, to compare the 20-year-old Novocastrian to Newcastle's most famous number 7, Andrew Johns himself has heaped praise on her and predicted a bright future. After debuting for the Blues in 2023, Southwell wasn't selected last year. The time away has likely fuelled this year's resurrection, and not only has she set herself up as a player for the Blues to build a team around for years to come, a first Jillaroos jersey can't be far off. Blues fullback Abbi Church was another who had a breakout series, and strong performance in Game III. Every time the Blues went to Church, they were rewarded. There was her heroic effort to hold Emily Bass up over the line, incisive line breaks, a clever grubber to earn a repeat set, and a perfectly weighted pass to set up what should have been a try to Isabelle Kelly, who inexplicably failed to ground the ball in the in-goal. The Eels number one debuted in Game I, dethroning Emma Verran, and now looks to be a mainstay. Overall this series won't go down as an Origin classic, and once again questions have been raised over the timing of it. The Queensland competition doesn't kick off till June, with the NSW Premiership and NRLW getting underway in July. It means both sides effectively come into Origin with no real match fitness, and only a six-week training block to prepare for the series opener. And post-match, Maroons coach Tahnee Norris was blunt. "It's the hardest game of football that these girls play in, and they came off the back of nothing," she said. "We want the best footy that's played. These girls need to be playing NRLW so we can pick them off that. It needs to be in the middle of an NRLW season for sure."
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Late try helps Maroons save face in Game 3 of women's Origin series
Queensland salvaged pride in the Women's State of Origin series by claiming the third contest 18-14 thanks to a second-half comeback in Newcastle that prevented the Blues from securing a first clean sweep in the three-match series. Powerful Maroons prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi crashed over from an Ali Brigginshaw pass with four minutes to go, taking three Blues defenders with her, to put Queensland into the lead and spoil the Blues' party. 'Ali actually gave me a bit of a look, and I knew what she meant,' Lenarduzzi said. 'It's one of my favourite plays, and worked at the right time.' The pair combined for the deciding try, but their impact was also central from the start of Thursday's improved Queensland performance. Maroons coach Tahnee Norris sent shock waves through the sport before kick-off when she named Brigginshaw – captain and Jillaroos great – on the bench and promoted Lenarduzzi to the starting lineup. The burly prop played the first ten minutes and helped set the tone after the Maroons suffered 32-12 and 26-6 defeats earlier in the series. Aided by the physicality of Lenarduzzi – who was not selected for the first game and played off the bench in the second – Queensland offered early punch, and were rewarded with a seventh minute try to Makenzie Weale. 'An Origin is still an Origin,' Lenarduzzi said afterwards. 'You represent yourself, your state, and this group is really cool, we've had a really good time in camp, and we've obviously been really disappointed the last couple of games, so we needed a show we were capable of.' Although NSW had already secured the shield, another strong crowd of 21,912 turned out in Newcastle, consolidating the city's status as the home of women's rugby league. They came despite a forecast of rain that turned into a downpour at the final whistle. And they were treated to a mix of the brilliant and the bizarre in a tight contest. The game's strangest moment came midway through the first half, when Blues captain Isabelle Kelly crossed untouched for what seemed to be a try to put her side on the board. Kelly slid into the in-goal, but skidded across the turf on her ball-carrying arm without completing the grounding. The mistake was an embarrassment for one of the game's most accomplished players, who shook her head as she watched the replay and the bunker disallowed the try. It was the standout in a series of wild sequences in the first half, which also included two more disallowed tries – both would-be try-scorers adjudged out of play by millimetres – a fiery tussle between Queensland winger Julia Robinson and her opposite number Jaime Chapman, and one of the season's best try-saving tackles. Maroons centre Emily Bass grabbed a bouncing ball a metre out from the Blues try line with no one in front of her, but NSW fullback Abbi Church managed to race in and twist her opponent to prevent the grounding. It was a piece of skill befitting the Origin stage, as was the 20m cut-out pass by Jesse Southwell to set up the Blues' second try. The Blues had all the momentum in the second half when they raced to a 14-6 lead with 20 minutes to go. Interchange hooker Jocelyn Kelleher leaped out from dummy half and away from the clutches of Brigginshaw to score what appeared to be the decisive four-pointer. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion But 35-year-old Brigginshaw would have the last laugh. Five minutes later five-eighth Tarryn Aiken grubbered for Romy Teitzel to score, and then the captain sent Lenarduzzi over to curb celebrations in the Hunter. 'A bit of a disappointing end to the game three, but we've still got to keep our spirits high,' Church said. 'We're still going to get to lift the shield, we would have liked to get that clean sweep, but it wasn't meant to be today.' Maroons forward Jess Elliston ran for 143m was named player of the match, and Blues' lock Olivia Kernick claimed the award for player of the series.
