Newcastle Knights premiership winner and NRLW star Tamika Upton will don a Maroons jumper in this year’s Women’s State of Origin.
The 26-year-old fullback has been included in the 18-player Queensland side announced today by Coach Tahnee Norris ahead of the two-game series which kicks off in June.
The three-time Queensland representative made a strong case for her inclusion, piling on five tries in as many appearances for Newcastle last season, taking her career try-scoring tally in the NRLW to 17.
The 26-year-old will reunite with her former Knights teammates Emma Manzelmann and Romy Teitzel, who have also been selected, when the Maroons side assembles later this year.
This year will be the first multi-game Women’s Origin series with two games slated for June 1 and June 22 in Sydney and Townsville respectively.
Upton’s selection follows news last month that she had signed a mammoth five-year deal to stay in Newcastle. It is the longest contract signed by any player in the senior women’s competition to date and means the Karyn Murphy Medalist will remain in red and blue until at least the end of the 2027 season.