Ali Brigginshaw’s recent move to Lock is set to continue in Harvey Norman’s state of origin after the Dally M medal winner was named in the Queensland No. 13 jersey on Tuesday.
Brigginshaw will be running the Maroons under the Origin banner for the third time on Friday night as she desperately tries to end a recent run of blues dominance.
The lock experiment paid off for Brigginshaw and the Broncos in their most recent NRLW campaign, and the Maroons coaches, led by coach Jason Hetherington, wasted no time trying to continue.
Queensland have struggled to score points in their last two games with just 14 in their last two games. They only scored one try in the 60-minute clash last year at the North Sydney Oval.
The change allows Brigginshaw’s Broncos teammate Tarryn Aiken and returning Maroons center-back Zahara Temara to combine in the halves, while the skipper can act as an additional playmaker and connect with Tamika Upton in the middle.
Upton’s pick is critical to the Maroons’ chances of winning on the Sunshine Coast. The rising star will have a new backline along with Broncos trio Julia Robinson, Lauren Brown and Shenae Csieolka.
Former Maroons captain Karina Brown is the only member of the backline who was involved in Origin’s loss last year.
Hetherington’s pack of strikers is far happier with the arrival of Brittany Breayley and Rona Peters, both of whom missed the NRLW season due to family commitments.
Breayley could cover the full distance in the increased 70-minute game, but Peters has also proven to be a capable substitute dummy half if necessary.
NSW, which has been in Queensland for the past fortnight as per quarantine requirements, confirmed a number of changes to the successful side of last year.
Coach Andrew Patmore named the roosters couple Corban McGregor and Melanie Howard to start at halftime. Botille Vette-Welsh rose to defender after moving from the bank in 2019.
Patmore has moved kite star Jessica Sergis into the wing in a move similar to last year, with Tiana Penitani named in the centers alongside Isabelle Kelly.
Kelly joined the starting XI along with inspiring captain Kezie Apps, who has recovered from a knee injury.
Potential debutants named on the Defending Champions home page include Howard, Keeley Davis, Shanice Parker and Shaylee Bent.
Boyle back in blue and ready to pick up another trophy
Patmore will also bleed his entire bank, none of which have played at Origin level.
There was no room for boom rookie Kennedy Cherrington in the first 17, though Roosters forward could still be a late pick.
