Latest news with #TamikaUpton
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Women's State of Origin 2025 Game 3: NSW Blues v Qld Maroons v
Update: Date: 2025-05-29T09:15:41.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Hello everyone and welcome to Origin III! I missed live blogging the last one with you all due to being at the game, live and in person, which was very exciting – fortunately I was safely undercover, unlike the players. It looks like things will be mostly dry in Newcastle tonight, which I'm sure will be a welcome change from the swimming pool the players waded through in Sydney two weeks ago. Now of course the elephant in the room is that this is a dead rubber – NSW took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning in Sydney, so it is only pride on the line for Queensland tonight, while NSW will be motivated by securing the whitewash (bluewash?) For the Blues, John Strange has made no changes going into the final game of the series, meaning the same 17 players will line up in all three games. Meanwhile, it's quite a different story for the Maroons, with injuries to star fullback Tamika Upton and lock Keilee Joseph. Despite the match being a dead rubber, there's hope the crowd will still turn up in numbers tonight. Game I of the series set a new crowd record, while over 16,000 braved the rain in Sydney. Newcastle represented hard last year in torrential rain, so let's see if they can do the same this year! Kick off is at 7.45pm AEST, which isn't too far away, so let's get into it and count down to this final match of the series!
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.'
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Tamika Upton out of Women's State of Origin III as Ali Brigginshaw moves out of halves
The Queensland Maroons will line up next week in a Women's State of Origin game without star fullback Tamika Upton for the first time in six years. Hayley Maddick will slot into the number one jersey for Game III in Newcastle on Thursday, May 29, as injury and desperation prompt multiple changes for Queensland as Tahnee Norris's side tries to avoid a clean sweep in the series finale. Upton injured her hip after NSW winger Jaime Chapman stepped her while scoring a try in the Blues' series-clinching 26-6 win in Origin II. Not turning out in the third game ends a run of nine straight Origin outings since her 2020 debut, with 32-year-old debutant Maddick the first woman other than Upton to line up as Queensland's custodian since Chelsea Baker in 2019. Norris has also named Cronulla playmaker Georgia Hannaway to make her debut off the bench and moved out-of-sorts Ali Brigginshaw from the halves as they fight to avoid a State of Origin series whitewash. Brigginshaw has shifted to lock to replace Keilee Joseph, set to miss next Thursday's Origin III in Newcastle for medical reasons. Veteran Brigginshaw has been unable to spark the Queenslanders in two 20-point losses this year and reverts to the position where she has played five of her 12 Origin games. That pushes utility Lauren Brown into the halves to partner Tarryn Aiken at Hunter Stadium, with Destiny Brill returning to the starting side in Brown's hooker spot. Queensland will hope Brown can repeat her heroics from last year's trip to Newcastle, where she iced the Maroons' Game II victory with a field goal in torrential rain. The Maroons' middle forward rotation remains unchanged despite being completely dominated by their NSW counterparts in the first two matches. NSW have named an unchanged team with Jess Sergis named despite missing the second half of Origin II with a neck injury. Olivia Higgins usurps Shaylee Bent as replacement player for NSW. Queensland: Hayley Maddick, Julia Robinson, Shenae Ciesiolka, Rory Owen, Jasmine Peters, Tarryn Aiken, Lauren Brown, Makenzie Weale, Destiny Brill, Jessika Elliston, Sienna Lofipo, Romy Teitzel, Ali Brigginshaw, Georgia Hannaway, Sophie Holyman, Chelsea Lenarduzzi, Tavarna Papalii, Jada Ferguson (replacement player) New South Wales: Abbi Church, Jaime Chapman, Jess Sergis, Isabelle Kelly, Jayme Fressard, Tiana Penitani Gray, Jesse Southwell, Simaima Taufa, Keeley Davis, Ellie Johnston, Kezie Apps, Yasmin Clydsdale, Olivia Kernick, Kennedy Cherrington, Sarah Togatuki, Emma Verran, Olivia Higgins (replacement player) AAP/ABC
News.com.au
16-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
‘Laughable': $828m farce infuriates fans, NSW win women's State of Origin series
NSW have survived brutal conditions in Sydney to win their first ever women's State of Origin series with victory in Game 2 on Thursday night. The Blues defeated the Maroons 26-6, scoring five tries to one as their forward pack and young halfback demolished Queensland. 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. Queensland fullback Tamika Upton opened the scoring with a try but from then on it was all NSW as the Blues produced clinical football in torrential rain at Sydney's Allianz Stadium. A crowd of 16,026 turned up to watch the match at Moore Park, where heavy rain began falling in the hours prior to kick-off. The venue, which was renovated at the cost of $828 million, doesn't appear to have the best drainage and puddles formed across the turf, turning the game into a gritty, slippery affair. Nine commentator Peter Psaltis likened the Steeden to a 'cake of soap', while Gus Gould said NSW were playing smart football by opting to 'kick it in the puddles'. At halftime Blues forward Kezie Aps said: 'Obviously it's not the best conditions out here. 'So it's just the team who completes the holds the ball and completes each set that I think is going to win the game today.' In March, the Allianz Stadium surface came under fire for being below professional standard when players struggled to keep their feet in the Round 1 game between the Broncos and Roosters. Judging by the women's State of Origin game, the venue won't be hosting eight games of football if the NRL's Magic Round is ever held in Sydney. Allianz Stadium … Good weather for ducks!!! — Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) May 15, 2025 Allianz Stadium surface has seen better days — HER WAY (@herwaysports) May 15, 2025 Now this is a surface that could present some injury concerns. What’s doing with the drainage? #Origin — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) May 15, 2025 It’s alright guys, the Allianz Stadium turf is renowned for holding up well in heavy rain. #Origin — Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) May 15, 2025 All seriousness. It’s pretty laughable just how bad Allianz’s drainage is for an elite stadium recently upgraded. #rugbaleeeeeeeeeeg — Jon Tuxworth (@Tuxy81) May 15, 2025 After NSW claimed victory, Channel 9's Emma Lawrence said: 'They've done it in horrendous conditions, they're covered in mud.' But victorious NSW captain Isabelle Kelly wasn't phased by the wet conditions at Moore Park. 'I love this footy, I love playing at Allianz,' Kelly told Channel 9. 'This is obviously my home stadium and it feels like home. I think when we got here there was a sense of calmness about it being home and I'm just so proud.' Reigning Dally M Medal winner Olivia Kernick was a force in NSW's forward pack, racking up 236 run metres for the game. A tough night got even worse for Queensland when Upton got sidestepped by her opposite number Jaime Chapman as the NSW flyer scored a trademark running try — using the wet conditions to slide over the tryline. Gould said in commentary: 'She's a gazelle. As soon as they get her into open space, shut the gate.' Upton immediately clutched at her leg and limped off with an apparent hamstring or hip injury in the second half, and played no further part of the game. Young gun all class, reveals Johns phone call Halfback Jesse Southwell put on a kicking clinic, with the 20-year-old from Newcastle looking like a young Andrew Johns pulling the strings in a blue jersey. '(The game plan) was hold the ball in this weather and kick well, which is my job,' Southwell told Nine. 'And just make sure that we can complete our sets and kick to a corner and keep them down there. We knew we would probably crack them in the end if we could hold on to the ball.' Johns gave Southwell a phone call before the game to give the youngster a pep talk. 'When someone like Joey calls you the day of the game, you listen,' Southwell said. 'He said kick well, kick early and make sure that we complete our sets, especially in this weather. 'So everything he said I listened to and probably didn't kick in early enough in that first half. 'Sorry Joey, but we got there in the end.' It's NSW's fifth women's State of Origin victory and their first victory since the showdown was changed from a stand-alone game to a three-match series.
SBS Australia
16-05-2025
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Kernick stars as Blues claim women's Origin series
Olivia Kernick is the toast of NSW after the Blues lock powered her state to a women's State of Origin series victory in a 26-6 win over Queensland. The Maori Wiradjuri woman scored two tries and set up another on Thursday night as the Blues inflicted more misery on the Maroons to win game two. The 24-year-old, who was controversially overlooked for the Australian Test team after winning last year's NRLW Dally M Medal, came to the fore on a dour, rain-soaked evening in front of 16,026 fans at Allianz Stadium. Kernick clocked up 169m as the Blues claimed the series with a game to spare. "I had a feeling tonight she was going to shine, and I thought she led our forward pack really well," said Blues captain Isabelle Kelly. "She opens up every space for everyone to be honest especially when she runs." Leading 2-0, John Strange's side can seal the first series whitewash with victory at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium on May 29. The 2025 series is only the second three-game series in the history of women's Origin. "Every game that we go into we want to win, it doesn't matter whether it's 1-0 or 2-0," said Strange. "The goal was to win the series but I was really impressed with how we played, that's what I am really proud of." Tamika Upton scored the Maroons' only try of the night in the sixth minute and that was about as good as it got for Queensland. The Maroons forward pack were dominated and their struggles for territory were compounded when Upton hobbled off in the second half, leaving a question mark over her fitness heading into game three. "It was obviously disappointing to lose her in that second half," said Queensland coach Tahnee Norris. "She held on for as long as she could but I think we'll have to wait for the scans and see how she tracks over the next 48 hours." Queensland's try came after a rare mistake from Kernick who failed to cleanly gather a Lauren Brown grubberkick, with Upton swooping on the loose ball. But Kernick picked her moments for revenge and when she struck she did with both power and panache. First she set up an on-rushing Simaima Taufa, who ran a sharp line and bumped off a host of covering Maroons to draw the Blues level. Then Kernick went herself, crashing through three tackles and palming off Upton to score under the posts to give NSW a 12-6 halftime lead. Halfback Jesse Southwell was a major reason the Blues were able to turn the screw in the second half. The playmaker trapped Queensland in-goal with a crossfield kick early in the stanza and off the ensuing set Southwell's cutout was the catalyst for winger Jayme Fressard to score in the corner. Then the Blues other winger Jaime Chapman breezed in on the right flank to put NSW on the brink of a series crown. Any chance Queensland had of clawing their way back into the game evaporated when Upton hobbled off. The fullback tried to play on after suffering a hamstring injury as she came across to prevent Chapman's try but eventually succumbed to the pain. Kernick then crashed in for her second try with eight minutes left to put the game beyond Queensland's reach.
