Latest news with #Jillaroos
Sydney Morning Herald
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why Jesse Southwell is poised to be NSW's halfback for next 10 years
'There's no use being a brilliant seven if you don't have a connection with all the players around you, and that's something she's worked really hard on, which makes me really excited for her … she's got a really high ceiling, and she's not there yet, which is great for the women's game.' Strange said there were 'a lot of other good halves in the game', but predicted that challenge would bring out the best in Southwell. 'I think she'll love that as well,' he said. 'That'll push her game higher and higher.' In his Sydney Morning Herald column two weeks ago, Johns recalled how he first came across Southwell when he was a coaching consultant at the Knights. 'It's safe to say that everyone on the field in those training sessions was blown away by the skill level she has,' he wrote. He added that she 'has so much improvement still to come' and declared she should be 'the long-term halfback for the Jillaroos, starting right now'. Southwell is yet to wear the green and gold in rugby league, although she was part of the extended squad at last year's Pacific Championships. She helped Australia's rugby union sevens team win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham as a 17-year-old. Incumbent Jillaroos half Tarryn Aiken, who will play five-eighth for Queensland on Thursday, clearly has no intention of surrendering her spot in the national team without a fight. 'I'd definitely like to retain my jersey,' Aiken said. 'You always want to retain your jerseys in any team and definitely the Jillaroos.' Loading Aiken, who last year won the prestigious Golden Boot award, starred for Australia in their 90-4 hammering of England in Las Vegas three months ago, kicking 11 goals and producing six try-assists. Strange, meanwhile, was confident complacency would not be an issue for the Blues, who want to finish the series on a high note in front of a crowd expected to surpass 20,000. 'We've spoken about that as soon as we came back into camp for game three,' he said. 'It's about us and putting a really good performance out there on the field. If we don't do that, then we'll be disappointed, irrespective of the result ... 'We've got to make sure that we keep working hard, and the Queenslanders are going to be desperate. They don't want a 3-0 whitewash, so we've got to be better if we want to win this game, which we do.'
The Age
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Why Jesse Southwell is poised to be NSW's halfback for next 10 years
'There's no use being a brilliant seven if you don't have a connection with all the players around you, and that's something she's worked really hard on, which makes me really excited for her … she's got a really high ceiling, and she's not there yet, which is great for the women's game.' Strange said there were 'a lot of other good halves in the game', but predicted that challenge would bring out the best in Southwell. 'I think she'll love that as well,' he said. 'That'll push her game higher and higher.' In his Sydney Morning Herald column two weeks ago, Johns recalled how he first came across Southwell when he was a coaching consultant at the Knights. 'It's safe to say that everyone on the field in those training sessions was blown away by the skill level she has,' he wrote. He added that she 'has so much improvement still to come' and declared she should be 'the long-term halfback for the Jillaroos, starting right now'. Southwell is yet to wear the green and gold in rugby league, although she was part of the extended squad at last year's Pacific Championships. She helped Australia's rugby union sevens team win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham as a 17-year-old. Incumbent Jillaroos half Tarryn Aiken, who will play five-eighth for Queensland on Thursday, clearly has no intention of surrendering her spot in the national team without a fight. 'I'd definitely like to retain my jersey,' Aiken said. 'You always want to retain your jerseys in any team and definitely the Jillaroos.' Loading Aiken, who last year won the prestigious Golden Boot award, starred for Australia in their 90-4 hammering of England in Las Vegas three months ago, kicking 11 goals and producing six try-assists. Strange, meanwhile, was confident complacency would not be an issue for the Blues, who want to finish the series on a high note in front of a crowd expected to surpass 20,000. 'We've spoken about that as soon as we came back into camp for game three,' he said. 'It's about us and putting a really good performance out there on the field. If we don't do that, then we'll be disappointed, irrespective of the result ... 'We've got to make sure that we keep working hard, and the Queenslanders are going to be desperate. They don't want a 3-0 whitewash, so we've got to be better if we want to win this game, which we do.'
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Maroons seek to avoid historic State of Origin sweep as Hayley Maddick makes up for lost time
The significance of the third Women's State of Origin game is not lost on Queensland's newest player Hayley Maddick, the fullback and former touch football ace drafted in for the Maroons' mission to restore pride on Thursday night. After two humbling defeats to New South Wales, Queensland's players are at risk of suffering the ignominy of the first women's Origin clean sweep since the series was extended to three games last season. 'The shield's gone, but we still have plenty to play for,' Maddick said ahead of her Origin debut. 'We've got family coming down, we've got people watching the game, and we're playing for a bit of dignity.' Queensland fought back in last year's series to claim game two and then the decider, but this year the contest has been more one-sided. The Blues have been dominant in the first two games – with 32–12 and 26–6 victories – and the Maroons' fortunes took another blow when Jillaroos fullback Tamika Upton was ruled out of the third match. The 33-year-old Maddick's football fate has long been intertwined with Upton's. They both enjoyed outstanding touch football careers before joining the Broncos in the NRLW and both are elusive ball runners and playmakers. Maddick describes Upton, who is five years younger than her, as one of her best friends. The pair will even reunite at the Broncos this year after Upton's departure from the Knights. Maddick's elevation from Maroons backup looked likely when Upton went down clutching her leg, but her debut was not guaranteed until a call from coach Tahnee Norris. 'I saw her calling and my heart started racing,' Maddick said. The former NRL touch player of the year only debuted in the NRLW in her late 20s, and speaks with reverence about the likes of Upton and Tarryn Aikin. 'It's funny, because I'm inspired by so many people that are so much younger than me, and I love listening to them speak and the way they think about the game, like Tamika and Tarryn,' Maddick said. She was invited to trial with the NRLW Broncos in 2020 but actually turned down her first contract offer. 'I was probably a little bit naive,' she said. 'I wanted to keep playing touch [football]. But the second I said no, I regretted it.' Maddick is now making up for lost time, and in 2024 produced the best season of her short career. 'It's not unusual in women's sport, because everyone has a different background, but I only really started playing footy seriously in my late 20s, and in all honesty, it felt like last year I've finally got a grasp on the game properly.' She will face a confident Blues line-up, who made the most of an error-ridden Maroons in game one and adjusted better to torrential rain in game two. 'Conditions really were awful in the last game, so that obviously changes a lot of things in the style that you want to play,' Maddick said. 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 'It probably benefited New South Wales and the fact that they've got really big, strong girls, I think we've got really good, crafty, smart players, but conditions didn't really allow for a lot of ball movement.' The Maroons must also overcome an opponent buoyed by strong home support in Newcastle, the city which has become the capital for women's rugby league. But the team remains optimistic given the outcome at McDonald Jones Stadium last year, when Lauren Brown slotted a late field goal that swung momentum to the Maroons on their way to the shield. A near-capacity crowd of 25,782 attended that night despite the inclement weather, underlining the emergence of the women's game. 'I'd love to be a teenager at this point coming into the game now,' Maddick said. But she noted it still had some way to go. 'I hope it gets to a full-time wage – at the moment, it's not – but even still, just being a part of it while it's growing to that point is exciting.'
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
NRL star Millie Elliott reveals what happened two weeks into dating
An NRL superstar has revealed the make or break moment with her now husband when the couple were just two weeks into dating. Millie Elliott — formerly known as Millie Boyle — who is currently expecting her first child with fellow NRL star husband Adam Elliott has revealed their relationship got off to a rocky start. Elliott, who typically plays for the Sydney Roosters, was speaking on Triple M's The Rush Hour about how the pair grew up together on the New South Wales South Coast. 'But about two weeks into us dating we went to Miami Marketta,' she said, referring to a popular night market in Queensland. 'I got a green chicken curry, which I'll say I've never had a green chicken curry since. And I sh*t the bed — three times in one night.' She said she'd never had food poisoning so severe in her life. But the Jillaroos star said she didn't 'feel that bad' as it was 'so out of her control'. 'And then it was to the stage where I was just crawling from the shower to the toilet. And I thought, 'You know what, if we can get through this, we can get through anything',' she said. 'And look at us. Happy as ever.' She said she initially shared the piece of information with her co-hosts in confidence but they pushed for her to share it on the show. Her Newcastle Knights player husband tuned in to the show, taking to the comment section to have his say on the situation. 'Tbh three could be a porky I stopped counting,' he commented. And, it turns out the couple isn't the only one to have found love in this way. 'I have a very similar story! Well done,' one said. Another tagged their mate, commenting; 'It is normal see.' The couple announced they were expecting their first baby together, due in September, ahead of the Australia v England match in Las Vegas in March — meaning she was set to miss the 2025 season. Elliott informed officials two weeks ago that she and her husband were expecting a baby in September and while she won't be in action on the footy field in 2025, she plans to return after she has recovered from childbirth. 'We're really excited and looking forward to the next chapter,' she told Code Sports at the time. 'At the end of last season, we decided it would be nice to have a baby. We're very grateful we've reached this stage of the pregnancy.' Elliott has continued to do her media work for Channel 9 and intends to honour the final two years of her contract with the Roosters in 2026 and 2027. Elliott's husband, Adam, has five-year-old son Lennox from a previous relationship.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flood of support after Queensland legend and wife targeted by 'disgusting' act
Footy fans and players are sending messages of support to Ali Brigginhsaw and her family after wife Kate revealed some of the sickening abuse she's been receiving on social media. Brigginshaw is a legend of women's rugby league having won the NRLW competition with the Brisbane Broncos, State of Origin series with Queensland and World Cups with the Jillaroos. She's played 33 games for the Broncos, 25 Tests for Australia and 11 Origin games for the Maroons, leading them to glory in last year's series. However she's been below her best this year and couldn't prevent the Blues from winning the 2025 series in two games. After playing in the halves in the first two games, Queensland have shifted Briggingshaw to lock for the third. That pushes utility Lauren Brown into the halves to partner Tarryn Aiken for Game 3 in Newcastle, with the Maroons desperate to salvage some pride. Brigginshaw's move to lock comes after she feared she'd played her last Origin game. And as well as enduring an uncharacteristic patch of poor form, Brigginshaw has also been dealing with some vile abuse on social media. The 35-year-old's wife Kate took to social media on Thursday to condemn the awful treatment. "Mental health affects everyone, in particular athletes," wrote Kate, who has been married to Ali since 2021. "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 (direct message) 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." Shockingly, Kate revealed what some of the messages have been about. "Bashing people on social media isn't cool," she continued. "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." RELATED: Fresh calls for NRL action after Bulldogs robbed by 'deadset farce' New blow for Tigers as 'popular' figure set to follow Lachie Galvin out Ali was in tears after the second game of the Origin series earlier this month, which the Blues won 26-6 to win back the shield. Fans and fellow players sent a flood of messages in support of the Brigginshaw family after Kate's post. One person wrote online: "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." Another commented: "You could not meet a nicer person than Ali Brigginshaw. A true Queenslander, one who should be respected and not abused by cowards."
