Women’s State of Origin 2022 shapes as most influential in series’ short history

There are not too many places more unwelcoming than Canberra’s GIO Stadium in the middle of winter. If the NSW Blues hope to reverse the trend of Queensland’s upper hand in the women’s State of Origin over the past two years, they have found the best possible place to do so.

For Queenslanders who think anything below 20C is a bit nippy and might require a coat and scarf, the icy depths of a concrete bowl in Bruce with no protection from the elements presents the ultimate challenge. The stadium is also considerably bigger than previous women’s Origin venues – a 25,000-capacity compared to 12,000 at Sunshine Coast Stadium and 10,000 at North Sydney Oval. With the announcement last week that the Canberra Raiders will join an expanded NRLW competition in 2023, there is hope that this anticipation could coax Canberrans out of their warm houses and into GIO Stadium to give the Blues an extra edge in the contest.

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A win in this match has also increased in importance since the announcement that next year’s series will jump from one game to two. This means that in the fairly likely event of a tied series, the shield will be awarded to the previous year’s winner, providing a significant grasp on the balance of power to the winner of this year’s standalone match.

With the chance to forge a legacy combined with the memories of the fiery finish to last year’s game – when Queensland walked away with an 8-6 win after a penalty in the dying minutes – this is shaping up to be the most influential women’s Origin match in its short history.

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