Defending champions NSW have a well-established side packed with stars while the Maroons also have a plethora of talent at their disposal... but as is always the case, a new face will make an undeniable case for selection as the Origin series looms.
The NRL.com experts break down the players most likely to break through and earn Origin honours in the women's game in 2026.
Who will make their women's Origin debut?
Brad Walter: Roosters prop Rima Butler took her game to another level in 2025 and attributes her rise in form to being selected in the extended NSW Origin squad. Butler, who won a grand final with the Knights in 2023, added a second NRLW premiership in her first season at the Roosters and earned selection in the Jillaroos squad for the Pacific Championships. If she can maintain the form she displayed in 2025, Butler is set to complete the set with a Blues jersey in Origin after proving herself to be one of the best frontrowers in the game.
Kiria-Ratu wins it for the Sharks
Cameron Mee: An ACL injury to Tarryn Aiken has opened the door for new Queensland coach Nathan Cross to make a bold selection in the halves next season. While he could turn to veterans Ali Brigginshaw and Lauren Brown, the long-term move would be to select Chantay Kiria-Ratu and build around the emerging halfback. The 21-year-old is already one of the best playmakers in the NRLW and led Cronulla to the preliminary final last season before steering Cook Islands to a historic Pacific Bowl victory. A two-time Queensland Under 19 representative, Kiria-Ratu led the Maroons past NSW in 2023 and is ready to step up to the senior contest.
Remember the name: Shalom Sauaso
Colleen Edwards: The breakout star of the NRLW last season, Shalom Sauaso kept getting better as the year went on and was crowned the NRLW Rookie of the Year at the Dally Ms. Finishing the season with a Test call-up for Samoa in the Pacific Championships, Sauaso also represented Queensland Under 19s in June. The versatile 18-year-old came through the junior grades playing in the halves, but excelled in the forwards for the Broncos in their premiership-winning season, averaging 143 run metres per game and busting 95 tackles in 10 games. Sauaso would be a more than useful addition to a Maroons squad that lacked a little punch in the forwards following the retirement of Tazmin Rapana and absence of Shannon Mato due to pregnancy.
Martin Lenehan: Cowboys flyer Jakiya Whitfeld has already earned four Jillaroos caps and come up with five tries in the green and gold but she is yet to don the blue of NSW. The 24-year-old is one of the game's most accomplished finishers and will again be in the mix when Blues selectors sit down in April to choose a side for the series opener in Newcastle. Coach John Strange has no shortage of options in the outside backs but surely the time has come for Whitfeld to be given her chance at Origin level.
