A record crowd is expected for the final one-off women's State of Origin fixture in Canberra on Friday evening.
With the game set to be played in neutral territory for the first time after previously being hosted at North Sydney Stadium and on the Sunshine Coast, Canberra is expected to have a crowd in five figures - only the second time it has occurred in the game's history.
The largest crowd in women's Origin history was pre-COVID during 2019, when 10,515 people filed through the gates at North Sydney Oval to witness New South Wales defeat Queensland 14 points to 4.
The full list of crowds since the beginning of NRLW is below.
- 2018: 6,824 at North Sydney Oval: NSW 16 - QLD 10
- 2019: 10,515 at North Sydney Oval: NSW 14 - QLD 4
- 2020: 4,833 at Sunshine Coast Stadium: QLD 24 - NSW 18
- 2021: 7,183 at Sunshine Coast Stadium: QLD 8 - NSW 6
According to the Canberra Times, the record of 10,515 is in danger though, with an NRL spokesperson suggesting more than 10,000 was the expectation, but the crowd could swell to more than 12,000.
It comes on the back of a recently completed NRLW season for the first time after the 2021 season was postponed to the beginning of 2022, as well as a groundswell of support for the women's game which will see four new teams added for the 2023 season.
The Canberra Raiders are one of those sides alongside the North Queensland Cowboys, Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks.
The potential record crowd according to the publication comes despite a forecast temperature of just eight degrees for kick-off after a high temperature of 13 degrees during the day on Friday.
GIO stadium can hold a maximum of 25,011 people for sporting events, with the Raiders NRL men's team averaging 11,756 people per home game in 2022, suggesting the crowd could be on par with that figure.
