The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fifteen teams, thirteen of which are based in Queensland, with one based in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.
In Queensland, Rugby league was introduced in 1908 and is the most watched winter sport in the state and the second most participated football code after soccer. Within its first decade it surpassed rugby union there to become the most popular football code as players switched to play professionally in the Queensland Rugby League (QRL). In the 1920s, Queenslanders began leaving to play professionally in the New South Wales Rugby League which became a more popular competition. However Queensland maintained a strong rugby league culture, with the state continuing to perform well in interstate rugby league. The later advent of the State of Origin series ensured that players would return to represent their state. Regarded as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the term "Origin fever" is used by the media to describe the passion of the Queenslanders public for the competition and the chant "Queenslander!", attributed to Billy Moore in 1995, has become the state's battle cry. The Queensland Rugby League is the governing body and has 58,912 registered tackle players. Rugby league authorities often count an additional 70,000 registered touch football players as participants, though that sport is only loosely affiliated and is governed by Touch Football Queensland.
The New South Wales Women's rugby league team represents the Australian state of New South Wales in Women's rugby league football. Also known as the Sky Blues due to their sky blue jerseys, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against the neighboring team, the Queensland Women's rugby league team.
The Queensland women's rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons", after the colour of their jersey, the team compete in the annual Women's State of Origin game against arch-rivals New South Wales. Coached by Tahnee Norris and captained by Ali Brigginshaw, the team is administered by the Queensland Rugby League.
The NRL State Championship is a rugby league match contested by the premiers of the two elite second-tier competitions in Australia, the New South Wales Cup and the Queensland Cup. The match has been played as a curtain-raiser to the NRL Grand Final at Stadium Australia since it was introduced by the National Rugby League (NRL) in 2014. The match acts as Super Bowl-type to determine the National Reserve Grade Champions.
The Queensland Under-20 rugby league team, also known as Queensland Under-20s or Queensland U20, represents Queensland in the sport of rugby league at an under-20 age level. Since 2012, the team has played an annual fixture against the New South Wales Under-20s team for the Darren Lockyer Shield. The team features players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super Cup, Canterbury Cup NSW, Hastings Deering Colts and Jersey Flegg Cup competitions. They are administered by the Queensland Rugby League.
Women's rugby league is a popular women's sport in Australia. The sport has a high level of participation in the country both recreational and professional. Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) is the national governing body of the sport in Australia, organising the Australian Women's Rugby League, the Australian women's national team, and the nine state governing bodies of the game, among other duties. Women's participation of modern rugby league has been recorded since the early 1920s. It has since become one of Australia's most popular women's team sports.
Isabelle Maree Kelly is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Central Coast Roosters in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.
Chelsea Baker is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played for the Central Queensland Capras in the QRL Women's Premiership.
Brittany Breayley-Nati is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays for the Burleigh Bears in the QRL Women's Premiership, and Ormeau Shearers in the SEQW Holcim cup.
The New South Wales Under-16's rugby league team, also known as New South Wales Under-16s or New South Wales U16, represents New South Wales in the sport of rugby league at an under-16 age level. Since 2008, the team has played an annual fixture against the Queensland Under-16s team as a curtain-raiser to a State of Origin game. The team features players selected from New South Wales's premier under-16 rugby league competition, the Harold Matthews Cup and Andrew Johns Cup. The New South Wales Rugby League administered them.
The New South Wales Under-18's rugby league team, also known as New South Wales Under-18's or New South Wales U18, represents New South Wales in the sport of rugby league at an under-18 age level. Since 2008, the team has played an annual fixture against the Queensland Under-18's team as a curtain raiser to a State of Origin game. The team features players selected from New South Wales's premier under-18 rugby league competition, the S.G. Ball Cup. They are administered by the New South Wales Rugby League.
The New South Wales Under-20's rugby league team, also known as New South Wales Under-20s or New South Wales U20, represents New South Wales in the sport of rugby league at an under-20 age level. Since 2012, the team has played an annual fixture against the Queensland Under-20s team for the Darren Lockyer Shield. The team features players selected from the National Rugby League (NRL), Holden Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup and Intrust Super Premiership competitions. They are administered by the New South Wales Rugby League.
The 2019 Women's State of Origin was the second State of Origin rugby league match between the New South Wales and Queensland women's teams played at North Sydney Oval on 21 June 2019. The match was the second played under the State of Origin banner.
Vanessa Foliaki is a New Zealand-born Australian rugby league footballer who plays for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Women in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Wentworthville Magpies in the NSWRL Women's Premiership.
Tazmin Gray is an Australian rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Burleigh Bears in the QRL Women's Premiership.
Tamika Upton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Women's Premiership. Her position is fullback. She previously played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRLW, CQ Capras and Burleigh Bears in the QRL Women's Premiership.
The Women's State of Origin is an annual rugby league fixture between two Australian state representative women's sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons.
The Wheelchair State Challenge is an annual wheelchair rugby league fixture between the Australian state representative sides of New South Wales and Queensland. First played in 2015 as the Wheelchair Interstate Challenge, the competition was rebranded as the Wheelchair State of Origin in 2019, and as the Wheelchair State Challenge in 2023.
