Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Blues coach John Strange is confident the Suncorp Stadium surface will be suitable for play when his team runs out for the Women’s State of Origin series opener on Thursday night.
The entire playing surface has been ripped up and replaced ahead of Origin I and the NRL’s eight-match Magic Round, after it copped a battering across the Anzac Day long weekend.
Blues coach John Strange has his team in a relaxed mood ahead of the series opener.Credit: Getty Images
But Strange said he had every confidence the new playing surface would be up to scratch.
“I’m glad we’re first game [of the Magic Round weekend],” he said. “The weather is beautiful up here, so I don’t think there will be any issues.
“The process they’ve gone through of ripping it up and relaying it and bolting it down, they know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t have done that if they thought there was going to be any issues, and obviously, the rain they had and the games that they had last weekend just chewed it up too much for them. So I’m glad they’ve made the decision, and total confidence in the ground staff at Suncorp.”
Ticket sales are on track to surpass 25,000, and the NRL is optimistic of breaking the record of 25,492, set at Suncorp last year, after they included Origin I in a four-day Magic Round package.
Game two is at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on May 15, before the series concludes in Newcastle on May 29.
It is the second year in which the NRL has adopted a three-game format, after players and coaches were critical of the two-match format in 2023, when Queensland won on points aggregate following a 1-1 draw.
The Blues haven’t lifted the Origin shield since the NRL introduced a multi-match series since the two-game format in 2023, which should make NSW the underdogs, but bookmakers have the Blues as narrow favourites ahead of the Maroons.
There’s been no talk of the back-to-back series losses in the Blues camp this week.
“It’s about moving forward,” Strange said. “Yes, there are quite a few girls that were involved last year, in that six-week block, but there are quite a few new girls, so I didn’t see the point – for me not being there and a lot of these players not being there – to sort of dredge that up.
“And also, there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s about moving forward.”
On paper, though, Strange’s side has had the biggest shake-up heading into game one.
Queensland coach Tahnee Norris has kept the same spine that won the 2024 series – Tamika Upton, Tarryn Aiken, Ali Brigginshaw and Lauren Brown – while Strange has named a new player in all four key roles.
Eels fullback Abbi Church will make her Origin debut in the No.1 jersey for NSW, while Strange has shifted Jillaroos centre Tiana Penitani Gray to five-eighth to partner Jesse Southwell in the halves. Keeley Davis will start at hooker.
Ellie Johnston, Jocelyn Kelleher and Jayme Fressard will also make their debuts for the Blues.
NSW halves pairing Tiana Penitani Gray (left) and Jesse Southwell.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
With such a new-look team, plenty rides on the players having formed strong combinations in the six-week pre-Origin training block.
“They’ve earned their spots through their form, in particular last year, throughout all the competitions they’ve played in from Pacific Championships, but NRLW in particular,” Strange said of his debutantes.
“They were very consistent in that competition, they got into the extended squad of 30, and then pushed their way into the 17. So, the confidence is they deserve to be there, and all the other players know that as well.”
A lot rests on the new-look halves pairing.
Southwell, while a talented playmaker with two NRLW premierships to her name, is still just 20 years old, and Penitani Gray plays in the centres for Cronulla and the Jillaroos. That didn’t stop Strange from backing the Origin veteran to perform in her new role as five-eighth.
“She’s [Penitani Gray] got great skills,” Strange said. “She can pass both ways really well, she’s a great runner and she understands the game.
“For me, it’s about getting Tiana more footy, and getting her involved, and while she’s got the six on her back, I still want her to think about running game as well, which is obviously very strong.”
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
