Queensland are praying for blue skies in Newcastle come Thursday night as four of the biggest boots in the women’s game prepare to launch an aerial assault in the State of Origin opener.

New-look Maroons halves pairing Chantay Kiria-Ratu and Lauren Brown are two of the NRLW’s best clutch game winners, while NSW stars Jesse Southwell and Jocelyn Kelleher are inch-perfect with the boot.

The past two Origin games at McDonald Jones Stadium have been in the driving rain but a clear forecast for Thursday could open up the game, ramping up the pressure on Maroons backrower Romy Teitzel to shut down the Blues attack.

Teitzel will line up with Southwell at the Broncos later this season, but her job on Thursday night is to smother her NRLW teammate.

The pair won a competition together at the Knights back in 2022 and Teitzel knows intimately how dangerous Southwell can be if given enough space to dominate.

“Both (Southwell and Kelleher) excel individually in their NRLW spaces and I’m very lucky to have Jesse as a teammate this year and I know how talented and composed she is, especially for such a young kid,” Teitzel said on Tuesday.

“She’s been in the game now for nearly as long as myself, she knows how to control a game, she knows how to play in high pressure situations and I think Joce will complement that.

“They both have a great kicking game so the ability to share that load is pretty important for that NSW team.

“But we don’t change anything, we just play the footy we know how to and my role as a backrower probably becomes more important.”

It’s equally as important for Blues star Tiana Penitani Gray, who has been named in the unfamiliar position of second-rower for the first time.

She’s previously played in the centres and last year as five-eighth for the Blues, but has been shifted onto the edge to do a job on the Queensland halves.

“It was something Strangey had an idea of when we were doing our internal trials and he put me there and gave me a really simple task and was happy with how I played,” she said about her new role.

“I’m really excited and I think the attributes of being a good backrower are the skills that I have and I’m excited for the opportunity and that Strangey and the girls have trust in me to be able to do a job there.”

The Maroons travelled to Newcastle on Tuesday and will do a captain’s run at the stadium on Wednesday before the series opener.

It’s a ground they know and love and are yet to lose an Origin game there.

They won game three of last year’s series at McDonald Jones Stadium as well as levelled the series in game two of 2024, which the Maroons went on to win.

“We’ve only played down there twice, but both times, especially last year going down there in game three, it was a big goal to finish the series using a lot of the footy we know we can play,” Teitzel said.

“That brings a lot of confidence anyway, but playing in an away stadium when you run out for State of Origin you run out to a passionate crowd that’s against you it makes you want to play a little bit harder and a little bit faster.

“We love going to Newcastle, anyone that gets around the game and fills the stadium is a really enjoyable space to play in front of, and Newcastle does that every time.”