Six debutants are among the 20 players named by Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues head coach Kylie Hilder today for the opening Ampol Women’s State of Origin game at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on Thursday 1 June.
Forwards Brooke Anderson and Ellie Johnston join backs Teagan Berry, Jaime Chapman, Taliah Fuimaono and Jesse Southwell as debutants. Berry was on the extended bench in the 2022 squad and Chapman was the winning NSW Under 19s Origin captain in 2021.
The final 17 will be named after the NSW team goes into camp on 25 May.
For the first time the women’s Origin in 2023 will be a two-game series. The second game is at Townsville’s Country Bank Stadium on Thursday 22 June.
Hilder and her two assistant coaches, Ruan Sims and Kate Mullaly, have retained 13 players from last year’s victorious side.
“This is a very strong squad filled with plenty of Origin experience and also a number of Jillaroos (11) from the World Cup-winning Australia team last November,” Hilder said.
“I’ve said from the very beginning that 2023 is a clean slate. What we achieved in 2022 – however good that was – is now in the past.
“We are going out there to win not just one game but both Origin games. We won’t settle for anything less than a 2-0 series result.”
The 20-strong squad has two players – Isabelle Kelly and Kezie Apps – from the first Origin game in 2018 at North Sydney Oval.
Forwards Simaima Taufa (shoulder) and Hannah Southwell (knee), who were also in that side, were unavailable for Game One selection due to injury. Other Sky Blues players not available are Holli Wheeler (knee) and Caitlan Johnston (knee).
HARVEY NORMAN NSW SKY BLUES SQUAD
Brooke Anderson (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Kezie Apps (Illawarra Steelers)
Shaylee Bent (Wynnum-Manly Seagulls)
Teagan Berry (Illawarra Steelers)
Millie Boyle (Central Coast Roosters)
Jaime Chapman (Tweed Heads Seagulls)
Kennedy Cherrington (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Yasmin Clydsdale (Newcastle Knights)
Keeley Davis (Illawarra Steelers)
Quincy Dodd (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Taliah Fuimaono (Illawarra Steelers)
Ellie Johnston (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Isabelle Kelly (Central Coast Roosters)
Olivia Kernick (Central Coast Roosters)
Rachael Pearson (Illawarra Steelers)
Tiana Penitani (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Jessica Sergis (North Sydney Bears)
Jesse Southwell (Newcastle Knights)
Sarah Togatuki (North Sydney Bears)
Emma Tonegato (Illawarra Steelers)
PLEASE NOTE: Clubs listed are from the Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership and the Queensland Rugby League Women's Premiership.
