Tazmin's top five Origin moments

For Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons second rower Tazmin Rapana – formally Tazmin Gray – wearing the colour maroon is part of who she is.

“Growing up in Queensland, being a proud Queensland woman, the colour maroon is a piece of my identity,” Rapana said.

“So for me, it’s a very proud moment being able to represent myself, my family, but also to be able to put on the Maroons jersey, there’s no words that can fully describe exactly what that feeling is until you’ve done it.

“For me, it’s a very proud moment to be able to represent myself and my family that carry my name and create a legacy for them here in Queensland.”

Rapana – one of 10 children including Canberra Raiders winger Jordan Rapana – said State of Origin in her household was “always crazy”.

“I remember around 2002, sitting in front of the TV with my brothers, and that was the night every other girl will tell you, we were allowed to stay up late and watch the Origin series,” Rapana said.

“I was watching Matty Bowen, Johnathan Thurston – some of the greats of our game – and for me, it was a moment I got to spend time with my family. It was a moment I got to appreciate football for what it was but never did I ever imagine that I’d be able to play on that stage… the exact same stage as some of my biggest idols.

“That was what Origin looked like in our household… it was always an exciting moment for us to be able to come together as a family and sometimes start our own little fights because of which team we went for, what team they went for.

“And then we'd end up playing a little mini knee rugby league game in the loungeroom of New South Wales versus Queensland, just trying to feel like we were part of it.

“I used to call myself Matty Bowen back in the day. And then I used to say I could kick like Thurston. In our knee rugby league game, I was that person.”

Rapana said the notion she was now the Bowen or Thurston for children sitting in their loungerooms was mind-blowing.

“I don’t think I soak that in often enough, to be honest,” Rapana said.

“I’ve always looked at it like a game where it’s for me. This is my moment… it’s pretty much created who I am as a football player… so I don’t think I’ve really grasped that concept. I don’t think any of us will until we step out of it.

“But honestly it’s a dream come true… I never, ever, in my wildest dreams thought that I would be playing football semi-professionally, ever in my life.

“So to be able to do that and to be able a pioneer of our game and to be able to pave a way for my kids if they ever want to pursue a career in rugby league, to be able to do that and leave a legacy for them, not even just for them, but for the younger generation, I'm just super proud to be able to be a part of that journey.”

Tazmin’s top five Origin moments

1. Dane Gagai’s clutch in 2017

"Number one would be Dane Gagai clutching it. I would’ve said that we’d lost the game and then Dane Gagai clutches it and wins the game for us… and we won the series. It’s the epitome of exactly what a Queenslander is. Every game is different but you never give up until you walk off that field. That’s what I love most about Gagai. He’s that type of player that can pull something out of nothing, but he also played until the last whistle and if any opportunity arose he took it and made it. That’s exactly the Queenslander way."

2. Debut game

"Two would be my first ever game in maroon, which was 2016. I think the top moment there was just walking out on the field and being able to say that I now am officially a Queenslander."

3. Men’s 2023 series

"I feel like we were ruled out, we had lost this player and that player, odds were all against us but once again we proved that we were the better team. And it didn’t come down to what players we had and what players we didn’t have. It came down to who we are as Queenslanders. And I think that in itself, that moment, helped us as the women’s team go on and do what we did last year."

4. Tamika Upton at the Sunshine Coast

"Four is definitely Tamika Upton at the Sunshine Coast, on her debut, in 2020. Tamika Upton… I was on the field at the time and I remember watching it and it was almost like watching a movie. They kick it, Meeks catches it, skips, skip, skips a little bit more, and she’s through. I remember just turning and thinking ‘thank f*** for that’. If there’s anyone in our game who is going to do it, it had to be her. And it was only going to be her. Meeks is an amazing, talented player and the player that she is was epitomised in that moment. She’s just a freak. It’s a core memory. I remember watching from the field going ‘holy’ and then she scored. And I was like ‘thank you’."

5.  The 2023 Origin squad’s connection

“My most my favourite moment in last year's Origin – the 2023 series - was the connection that we had as a group. You come into camps and I’ve been in a lot of camps, and I feel like we’ve lacked or missed connection in a lot of different areas before, but the connection we had in last year’s Origin, the relationships that we formed, and the buy-in we all had… whether that be coaching staff, on-field and off-field, we all bought in as a collective and I think that speaks volumes of the direction that we’re going, how we all played in that Origin. Yes, we dropped one of the games, but I think it’s created a stepping stone and piece for every single person that was part of that camp, that squad. It was an eye-opener for us all to reflect on where we had come from and the direction that we’re going in and where that leads, which is making history this year.”