{"id":418182,"date":"2026-05-08T16:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/418182\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:09:17","slug":"nrl2026-womens-state-of-origin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/418182\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL2026: Women’s State of Origin;"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rima Butler grew up dreaming of emulating cousin Harata Butler by representing NSW and now the Blues forward hopes to inspire her son Cassius when she makes her Origin debut at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Butler, who watched Harata play in the 2014 Interstate Challenge, is humbled to have been called into the Blues side on the interchange after Kezie Apps shifted to the secondrow in place of the injured Tiana Penitani Gray.<\/p>\n

The Sydney Roosters forward is excited to return to a venue that holds special memories for her after last year making her Test debut for the Jillaroos against Fetu Samoa at Suncorp Stadium.<\/p>\n


\n
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\n \"Rima
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\n Rima Butler will make her Origin debut for NSW at Suncorp Stadium on May 14.
\n \u00a9Anthony Kourembanis\/NRL Photos
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\n <\/p>\n

After winning the series opener in Newcastle 11-6, the Blues are looking to retain the Origin Shield they won last year but know the Maroons will be more formidable at home in a must win match that kicks off the NRL’s Magic Round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning out there and feeling the atmosphere, I know it\u2019s going to be insane – a real pinch me moment,” Butler said.<\/p>\n

“I am so grateful to be playing this game and so excited, I can already feel the nerves. I had couple of cousins that played before they made it State of Origin and I thought that would be so cool, so to play on that same stage means a lot.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet the game has come a long way since Harata and another of Butler’s cousins, Teina Clark, played.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Butler is one of several Blues players who will spend Mothers Day in Origin camp; a reflection of the progression and strength of elite female athletes in the modern game.<\/p>\n

Blues prop Millie Elliott, who returned to the Blues side in the series opener after missing last season while she was pregnant, and utility Corban Baxter are the other mothers in the NSW squad for Origin II.<\/p>\n


\n
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\n \"Millie
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\n Millie Elliott with daughter Gigi at a photo shoot for new season Best & Less State of Origin official fan gear.
\n \u00a9Supplied
\n
\n <\/p>\n

Sharks frontrower Caitlan Johnston-Green (NSW) and Broncos prop Shannon Mato (Queensland) are members of the extended Origin squads for their states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Butler, who became a mother to Cassius six years, praised the growth of the women\u2019s game and the programs now in place to support working mothers to continue their rugby league careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day he\u2019s going to realise how cool his mum is,\u201d Butler laughed.<\/p>\n

For now, Butler said Cassius is more excited about catching the plane to Brisbane for Origin II than watching her play but she understands the importance of her role as a visible example for young female athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in awe of all the women who played before us and paved the way for what we have now,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n


\n
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\n \"The
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\n The Blues are aiming to wrap up the series with a win in Origin II at Suncorp Stadium
\n \u00a9Anthony Kourembanis\/NRL Photos
\n
\n <\/p>\n

Elliott said that her perspective on Origin has shifted since giving birth to Gigi last October.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to be able to do,\u201d said Elliott. \u201cThere are so many girls who have paved the way in having kids and coming back to sport, better than the level they were before\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Jillaroos prop, who is married to Rabbitohs forward Adam Elliott, welcomed the opportunity to have her daughter alongside her at Origin. Elliott emphasised how special it has been to have Gigi around the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cGigi loves it, and the girls do too,” she said. \u201cYou see the girls with their little ones, out in the field, celebrating with them, you see it in their faces, it means so much. It\u2019s really nice to have her be a part of it.”<\/p>\n

As excitement around the NRLW continues to grow, Elliott is thrilled for her daughter to see the women\u2019s game progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore people are watching; more girls can see what they want to be,\u201d Elliot said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Gigi wants to play sports one day and make that a career, that\u2019s very doable\u201d.<\/p>\n

On the NRL\u2019s biggest stage, increased visibility has gone beyond elevating women, making pathways clearer, careers longer, and moments like motherhood part of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you put these jerseys on, something else comes over you,\u201d Blues forward Kezie Apps said \u201cYou’re not only playing for yourself. You’re playing for all the girls who wore that jersey before you.”<\/p>\n

With more than 2 million viewers tuning in and an average TV audience of 980,000, Origin I was the most watched rugby league match of the year so far and set a number of broadcast records.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in 2014, I never would\u2019ve thought we\u2019d be having our own standalone game,” Apps said. \u201cWomen\u2019s Origin has grown and gone bonkers. It\u2019s so special to be a part of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having witnessed and played through the societal shift in women\u2019s sport, the Jillaroos captain is enamoured of the growth of the women\u2019s game and the impact that increased visibility and support have on the code.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NRLW and Origin are more visible now, and young girls can dream of being anything they want,\u201d said Apps.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have that. But the next generation coming through won\u2019t know any different, and that\u2019s amazing\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rima Butler grew up dreaming of emulating cousin Harata Butler by representing NSW and now the Blues forward…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-418182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}