Blues captain reveals job loss in pursuit of Origin glory
Related Story: Resilient Blues beat Maroons in women's State of Origin thriller Related Story: Rugby league women break through State of Origin glass ceiling
Maddie Studdon has led NSW to a defiant win in the inaugural Women's State of Origin and become the poster girl for female athletes in Australia.
In the aftermath of the Blues' 16-10 win over Queensland on Friday night, the NSW captain revealed she lost her job during the week because her rugby league commitments interfered with her work.
Like many female rugby league players, Studdon is semi-professional and is forced to juggle work, training and playing.
She was given an ultimatum by her bosses at the Port Bottany wharves, where she worked as a truck driver — give up footy or her job.
She was told she was taking too much time off work and they could not keep her on if she was to continually be away as part of her positions as NSW skipper and Australian Jillaroos representative.
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And in the end, her love of the Blues jersey won out.
"It's so hard that Maddie lost her job over this week," NSW coach Ben Cross said.
"That's how hard it is. To be a NSW rugby league Origin captain, she couldn't get the time off work.
"That's the sacrifice that these women and players are making to wear the Origin jerseys, they're losing jobs over it."
She said she had no hesitation despite being forced to join the unemployment queue on Monday.
"It was quite easy, I was always going to pick rugby league and that Blues jersey," Studdon said.
"This is my job and if that's how it's going to be, that's the way and I'm so proud. I'm happy how it came out too."
Asked what she would do on Monday, she said: "I'll probably study the game more, watch the replays."
Studdon is contracted to South Sydney for the inaugural NRL women's championship, to be played later this year.
Women's footy has made major gains in the last year — with a 33 per cent growth in female participation in 2017 and the success of the Women's World Cup.
However many female athletes still struggle to scrape together a living.
"The ladies before us paved the way," Studdon said.
"They had to sell their cars, get loans. We think about rugby league first and it comes from our heart.
"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.
"And if it's to lose a job, it's to lose a job."
Inaugural game lived up to Origin brand
The inaugural Women's State of Origin was hailed as fitting of the brand and the first step towards parity with the men's game.
The annual match has been known as the Interstate Challenge for the first 19 years, and this was the first time the game carried the Origin branding.
A healthy crowd of 6,824 watched on at North Sydney Oval and the match was broadcast live on Nine Network and Fox Sports.
However, both sides said it was just the first step in a long journey for female rugby league, with hopes for a three-game series — as is the case in the men's game — in years to come.
As well, halves were only 30 minutes because of concerns about the fitness levels of the players, who were only semi-professional.
"They were looking for that marquee Origin game and they got it," Cross said.
"Queensland came with a terrific attitude and the game wasn't the prettiest game — execution wasn't the best.
"But that's what Origin is all about — both teams were so gritty and tenacious in defence. Some of the physicality and some of the hits out there, it was a real Origin. They proved their worth to have Origin alongside their name."
It is hoped that the game will develop in future years, especially with the inaugural NRL Women's Championship kicking off in September expected to lift the standard of the female game.
Asked if future Women's Origin should be 40-minute halves, Queensland coach Jason Hetherington said: "I think you'd have to progress up to it.
"You could go to 35 and see how that works and eventually get up to 40 but I think it'll be a bit of time before that happens."
Maroons skipper Karina Brown called it a watershed moment for rugby league.
"It makes me smile," Brown said.
"The future generations are out there and they're playing rugby league because they've got heroes now — female heroes. It's fantastic for the game.
"I'm sure that's where we'll get to [three games]. For now I'm just happy we're playing Women's State of Origin and the game will keep evolving and getting bigger and better."
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