The Queensland Under-18 rugby league team, also known as

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Under-18s or Queensland U18, represents

in the sport of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

at an under-18 age level. Since 2008, the team has played an annual fixture against the New South Wales Under-18 team as a curtain raiser to a

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

game. The team features players selected from Queensland's premier under-18 rugby league competition, the

Mal Meninga Cup The Mal Meninga Cup, known as the Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup due to sponsorship, is a junior rugby league football competition based in Queensland, played between teams made up of players aged under 18. The competition, administered by the Q ...

. They are administered by the

Queensland Rugby League The Queensland Rugby Football League QRL Constitution, 2009: 3 (QRL QRL Constitution, 2009: 2) is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL Commission) and selects the membe ...

History

Prior to 2008, junior

interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

matches were contested at under-17 and under-19 levels. In 2008, with the advent of the National Youth Competition, the age levels switched to an under-16 and under-18 format to keep in line with the NSWRL's existing

SG Ball Cup The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne (Victoria Thunderbolts) also participate. Prior to the C ...

and

Harold Matthews Cup The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 16. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up o ...

competitions and the QRL's

and

Cyril Connell Cup The Cyril Connell Challenge is an under-16 competition administered by the Queensland Rugby League. First run in 2021, the competition replaced the QRL Junior State Championships, which ran from 2017 to 2020. The 2020 competition was ultimately ca ...

competitions, which would begin in 2009. Queensland suffered defeat in the first four under-18 Origin fixtures, not winning a game until 2012. The 2012 team, which featured future

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

players

Anthony Milford Anthony Milford (born 11 July 1994) is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Dolphins in the NRL. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby Le ...

Kodi Nikorima Kodi Nikorima (born 3 April 1994) is an Australia-based New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the New Zealand W ...

and

Lloyd Perrett Lloyd Perrett (born 17 December 1994) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Ormeau Shearers DMC side. He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rug ...

, held on to defeat New South Wales 24–18 at

ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand * ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Queensland would suffer two more defeats in 2013 and 2014 before picking up their second win in 2015, defeating New South Wales 22–18 at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

. Queensland snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory in 2019.

Players

Players selected for the Queensland under-18 team are usually contracted with a

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

(NRL) side but play in either the

Hastings Deering Colts The Hastings Deering Colts is a junior rugby league competition based in Queensland, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL), and is contested by fourteen t ...

Jersey Flegg Cup The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), and is named for Easte ...

Intrust Super Cup The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by four ...

competitions. In 2008, before the Mal Meninga Cup began, players were selected from the under-18 representative carnival in Proserpine. Each pre-season the

will select an under-18 squad featuring players in contention for the mid-season fixture. The squad participates in a weekend camp at the

Queensland Academy of Sport The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...

2020 squad

The 34-man training squad selected for the 2020 season:

Notable players

Since 2008, twenty-two former Queensland under-18 players have gone onto represent

level: *

Jai Arrow Jai Arrow (born 12 July 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er, and for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby Le ...

* Patrick Carrigan *

Xavier Coates Xavier Coates (born 12 March 2001) is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos. He has played for Queensland in the State of Or ...

Reuben Cotter Reuben Cotter (born 28 December 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a , and for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level. He has played at representative level for Q ...

Tom Dearden Tom Dearden (born 13 March 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL (National Rugby League). He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos. He has played at rep ...

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui Tino Fa'asuamaleaui () (born 16 February 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who captains the Gold Coast Titans playing as a lock and prop forward in the NRL. He has played for Samoa and Australia at international level. He previo ...

* David Fifita *

Dane Gagai Dane Gagai () (born 3 January 1991) is a professional rugby league footballer and boxer who plays as a and er for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. He has played for Australia and the New Zealand Maori at international level. He previously ...

* Tom Gilbert *

Coen Hess Coen Hess (born 14 August 1996) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played at representative level for Queensland in the Stat ...

Valentine Holmes Valentine Holmes (born 24 July 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays across the backline as a or er for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level. He began his career with the ...

* Ben Hunt *

Ethan Lowe Ethan Lowe (born 20 March 1991) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal kicking for the North Queensland Cowboys and South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL. Lowe was a member of the North Queensland Cowboy ...

Andrew McCullough Andrew McCullough (born 30 January 1990) is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a for the Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights, and St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, and has played for Queensland in t ...

Josh McGuire Joshua McGuire (born 2 March 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League. He has played for Samoa and Australia at international level. He previously played for t ...

* Michael Morgan *

Justin O'Neill Justin O'Neill (born 4 April 1991) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level. He represented the NRL All Stars ...

* Joe Ofahengaue *

Josh Papalii Josh Papali'i (born 13 May 1992) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Australia and Samoa at international level. He has played at repres ...

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (born 5 September 2001), also known by the nickname of "Hammer", is an Australians, Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Dolphins (NRL), Dolphins in the National Rugby League. He has also ...

Murray Taulagi Murray Taulagi (born 12 March 1999) is an Australia international rugby league footballer who plays as a er or for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). Background Taulagi was born in Auckland, New Zealand, is of ...

Results

2008

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2008 State of Origin series.

2009

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2009 State of Origin series.

2010

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2010 State of Origin series.

2011

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the

2011 State of Origin series The 2011 State of Origin series was the 30th annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams contested under "State of Origin" selection rules. For the third s ...

2012

Played as a curtain raiser to Game III of the

2012 State of Origin series The 2012 State of Origin series was the 31st time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' rules. For the fourth successive year a Queensland victor ...

2013

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2013 State of Origin series.

2014

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2014 State of Origin series.

2015

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2015 State of Origin series.

2016

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2016 State of Origin series.

2017

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2017 State of Origin series.

2018

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2018 State of Origin series.

2019

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the

2019 State of Origin series The 2019 State of Origin series was the 38th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 21 times, NSW 14 times, with two series drawn. For just the second t ...

References

{{Rugby League in Australia links Res Rugby League State of Origin Rugby league representative teams in Queensland