Culture

Last Night’s Historic Women’s State Of Origin Match Was A Record-Breaking Success

Fans were out in force.

by Tom Clift  23 June 2018
State of Origin

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A record-breaking crowd made the trip to North Sydney Oval on Friday night to watch players from NSW and Queensland go head-to-head in the first ever women’s State of Origin match.

6824 fans braved chilly conditions to witness history in the making, with the NRL reporting it was the biggest ever crowd to attend a women’s rugby league match. A further 689,931 people tuned in on television.

The support of the crowd may have given the home team the edge they needed, with NSW ultimately proving too strong for the visitors, winning 16-10.

The response to the match was overwhelmingly positive, with many fans taking to social media to share their thoughts on the occasion.

One of the most emotional moments came at the end of the night, when partners Karina Brown and Vanessa Foliaki, who played on opposite sides, shared a kiss on the ground after the match.

Fans have also latched on to the story of NSW captain Maddie Studdon, who revealed post-game that she lost her job this week because of her commitment to rugby. Like many female players, Studdon has been forced to juggle training and playing with work, but was recently given an ultimatum by her boss who told her she was taking too much time off.

“We’re playing for this jersey and it just shows we’re committed to this and whatever is thrown at us, we’re ready to take it,” Studdon told reporters. “And if it’s to lose a job, it’s to lose a job.”