State of Origin, Women’s Rugby League, NRLW, Queensland Maroons, Sky Blues, Evania Pelite, Tahnee Norris, Kylie Hilder, 80 minutes, full matches

Queensland led from the first minute to the last to close out the opening three-match State of Origin series. Evania Pelite supported calls to extend the women’s game to 80 minutes.

Pelite, player of the match in the third game, scored in the first minute of the game to put the Maroons ahead in Townsville. He said it was great to see the rapid developments in the women’s team, which allowed the Maroons to fight to maintain their lead in the deciding game after losing in the season opener.

“It was great to have three games, we didn’t perform to our full potential at Suncorp and that was really disheartening, especially in front of our home crowd,” Pelite told NRL.com.

“I think that definitely lit a fire in us; so to come out and fight through the second game and then put in a performance like that – almost our best performance ever – it’s pretty exciting to see what this group can do.

“We came with a plan of action and I’m so happy that in the end we were able to stick to it, and we did that throughout the entire game, 70 minutes.

“Our defence was relentless. NSW had a lot of sets on our line and it was incredible to see the girls rally, constantly forcing mistakes and putting their bodies on the line to stop attempts.”

Despite the increased intensity of the Origin match, Titans believed the players would be prepared to play a full match to decide the outcome, especially as the Maroons outscored the Blues in the second half of each match.

“I think we’re ready for a full 80-minute Origin; I think it would make the game really interesting, honestly,” Pelite said.

“(In the first game) we created momentum in the second half, I think an extra 10 minutes would have made it really interesting.”

Women’s football has seen steady growth in recent seasons, not only at the highest level, but participation figures at amateur level are also increasing every year.

The rules have been changed across the board to encourage more competitive and high-quality matches, with shorter minutes and a 40/30 payout instead of 40/20. This is despite the fact that Maroons captain Ali Brigginshaw showed with her kicking game in Townsville that she doesn’t need such concessions.

It is at this elite level that the sport has seen the greatest improvements in skills and support. Although NRLW players are not yet fully professional, they do have more time to train and focus on football. It shows on the pitch.

This series was played in front of a sold-out stadium and attracted record television viewership. On the pitch, the physical strength and skill level were impressive, despite the fact that most players had not played competitive matches in the run-up to the series.

Now that they’ve finally secured a three-game winning run, State of Origin coaches Tahnee Norris and Kylie Hilder were asked what their thoughts would be on the next developments in the game. They agreed with a move to the NRLW season earlier in the year and a full 80-minute game time for Origin matches.

“They’re 100 percent ready (for full 80-minute Origin games)… I think everyone wants it now,” Hilder said.

“I know they didn’t like it because they felt the (quality of) play dropped off in the last five minutes, but you’ve seen these girls, they’re athletes, they train hard, they’re ready and I think they deserve a full 80-minute Origin.”

Her Queensland counterpart Norris agreed but said players needed to be supported to ensure the high quality of the game remained a key feature and she wanted to see the NRLW continue to grow too.

“We’re adding two more teams to the NRLW, the fact that we’ve finally got the Origin series to three games, if we can continue to grow the sport there… I know there’s been talk in the media this week about the 80-minute games; I think you look at how fit our girls were (tonight), I think we’re at a point where we can almost go for that, I think they’re ready for it,” Norris said.

“But we have to make sure that we continually grow the sport and make it professional so that these girls are training full-time.

“If we expect 80-minute games, we need to make sure we take care of these girls and create an environment where they can train full-time so they can do that.”

This year’s Telstra Women’s Premiership season kicks off later this month with reigning champions Newcastle Knights hosting the Roosters on July 25.