In less than four hours, 34 of rugby league's best female young players will face off against each other in the annual U19s Women's State of Origin match between the NSW Blues and QLD Maroons.
Having only ever lost to Queensland once, the Blues will be eager to clinch another victory after defeating them 46-4 at Leichhardt Oval in 2024.
While most of the squad remains the same, fans will get their first glimpse of the next generation of NRLW players, including Logan Fletcher, Liesl Hopoate, Tyra Ekepati, and Tess McWilliams.
However, the state will rely heavily on the more experienced members of the side, such as Evah McEwen and Kasey Reh, who has been named captain.
Crowned last year's Player of the Match, Reh continued her tremendous form over the past 12 months, which saw her named the 2024 NRLW Rookie of the Year before being called up to train with the Women's Origin squad where she was able to learn from the likes of Kirra Dibb, Tiana Penitani Gray and Jesse Southwell.
Ahead of the clash on the Sunshine Coast, Reh spoke to Zero Tackleย about how special it is to represent New South Wales for the second consecutive year, as well as the bond she shares with her Illawarra Steelers teammates.
Claiming the Minor Premiership in the Tarsha Gale Cup, eight members of the squad are from the Steelers, while another couple have previously spent time in that system before going on to join other teams.
"Having that last name on our back and being able to represent your family as well as your state means a lot," Reh told Zero Tackle.
"We played a lot of junior sport together. We played OzTag together and came through that sort of way and then started playing tackle for the same junior club as well.
"Because we were all together all the time and we started training together all the time, it creates a really good bond with these girls and you're going to do anything for them when you get onto that field.
"Hopefully we can go out there on Thursday, rip in and bring the trophy home again."
