There are not too many places more unwelcoming than Canberra’s GIO Stadium in the middle of winter. If the NSW Blues hope to reverse the trend of Queensland’s upper hand in the women’s State of Origin over the past two years, they have found the best possible place to do so.
For Queenslanders who think anything below 20C is a bit nippy and might require a coat and scarf, the icy depths of a concrete bowl in Bruce with no protection from the elements presents the ultimate challenge. The stadium is also considerably bigger than previous women’s Origin venues – a 25,000-capacity compared to 12,000 at Sunshine Coast Stadium and 10,000 at North Sydney Oval. With the announcement last week that the Canberra Raiders will join an expanded NRLW competition in 2023, there is hope that this anticipation could coax Canberrans out of their warm houses and into GIO Stadium to give the Blues an extra edge in the contest.
