Millie Elliott Returns to State of Origin Seven Months After Giving Birth, Skipping Gradual Comeback

Key facts

• Millie Elliott, 27, returns to rugby league for NSW in State of Origin I on Thursday night in Newcastle.
• She gave birth to daughter Gigi seven-and-a-half months ago, in September 2024.
• Elliott has not played a competitive match in 18 months, since the 2024 Pacific Championships final.
• She previously captained the Newcastle Knights to their first NRLW premiership and lived in the city for over three years.
• NSW teammate Emma Verran is pregnant and will not play in the series, citing Elliott as an inspiration.
• Elliott said she relied on prehab, exercises, rehab, and physios to regain fitness, supported by the Roosters, the Blues, and the NRL.

A Return to the Cauldron

Millie Elliott will run out for the New South Wales Blues in State of Origin I on Thursday night at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, seven-and-a-half months after giving birth to her daughter Gigi. Rather than easing back through lower grades, the 27-year-old prop is leaping directly into the most intense arena in women’s rugby league, facing the defending champion Queensland Maroons. Gigi, now seven-and-a-half months old, will be in the stands, allowed to stay up past her bedtime for the occasion. “It’s such a massive honour,” Elliott told ABC Sport Daily about walking straight back into the Origin setup. “This is a winning team from last year who won the series and they played exceptionally, absolutely dominated in the first two games and got the job done. I knew that I had my work cut out for me.”

No Gradual Path Back

Elliott has not played a competitive match in 18 months, since representing the Jillaroos in the final of the 2024 Pacific Championships. The concept of a slow return through the lower grades appears lost on her; instead, she is throwing herself into the Origin cauldron with the defending champion Blues. “Definitely no easy task, that’s for sure,” Elliott said. “It’s a shame that we don’t get to play any footy before Origin, but that’s just the way it is at the moment.” She noted that the women’s game currently lacks preparatory fixtures before the Origin series, though she participated in the Nines competition with the Roosters in Las Vegas earlier this year. “I feel like I have eased my way in, but Origin’s just a whole new beast, and it goes up another level, even to NRLW, once you’ve settled in and played a few rounds,” she said. “I haven’t played footy in 18 months, but not many people have played in the last six months anyway. So kind of all back to square one, I guess. That’s how I’m telling myself to get through it.”

Inspiration for Teammates Navigating Motherhood

Elliott’s comeback is being watched closely by fellow players, including NSW star Emma Verran, who is pregnant and will miss the series. “Millie really is an inspiration, especially for girls like me who are going through it at the moment,” Verran told Nine’s Today. “But it’s really exciting to see her back. To come and step on the big stage straight away is incredible, and it just shows that you know we have a pregnancy policy for a reason, and the game is in good hands.” Verran added that Elliott’s return proves that women can be mothers and elite athletes simultaneously, hoping it inspires others. The NRLW’s evolving pregnancy policies have been designed to support players juggling family and professional sport, a framework that Elliott has benefited from. “There’s a lot of prehab and exercises and rehab and physios that you have to see, and I’m lucky enough that I’ve had that support and I’ve been able to get back to here and I’m feeling really fit and confident,” Elliott said.

A Homecoming in Newcastle

Newcastle holds deep personal significance for Elliott. She captained the Knights to their first NRLW premiership and lived in the city for just over three years with her husband Adam, who played NRL for Newcastle before joining South Sydney this season. The couple still own a house in the suburb of Merewether and have forged lifelong friendships in the area. “We love Newy, it’s like our little home away from home,” Elliott told the Newcastle Herald. “It’s going to be very special. I love playing at Mac Jones. It’s a great field, and everyone in Newy really gets around the footy, so hopefully it’s a big turnout on Thursday night.” However, the Blues have not won a game in Newcastle in the previous two Origin matches held there. “This will be the third time playing here and we’re hoping for a better result than the previous two,” Elliott said.

Overcoming a Once Career-Ending Hurdle

Pregnancy and motherhood were previously considered potentially career-ending for female athletes, and in some sports, they still are due to a lack of support and security. Elliott’s return highlights how the landscape is changing, with the NRLW’s pregnancy policy providing a safety net. She credited support from her husband Adam, her mother Shelley Boyle, as well as the Roosters, the Blues, and the NRL for enabling her comeback. The physical demands have been immense. “I knew that I had my work cut out for me,” Elliott said. “Definitely no easy task, that’s for sure.” Her journey back to the Sky Blues jersey involved extensive prehab, exercises, rehab, and physiotherapy sessions. Now, she feels “really fit and confident” as she prepares to step onto the field for the first time in 18 months.

What Lies Ahead for the Women’s Game

Elliott’s decision to return directly to Origin level underscores the lack of preparatory matches in the women’s calendar before the series. She expressed hope that in the future, players will have games earlier in the season to build match fitness. “One day, in the future, we’ll get some games earlier, but we’ve had quite a decent training block leading into the Origin series and we’ve played games against each other,” she said. For now, the Blues are focused on breaking their Newcastle hoodoo and retaining the series title. Elliott’s presence, combined with the support systems now in place, signals a broader shift in professional sport’s approach to motherhood. As Verran put it, “Hopefully inspires a lot of other girls, and you know proves that we can do that, we can be mums and elite athletes as well.”

The bottom line

• Millie Elliott returns to State of Origin seven-and-a-half months after giving birth, skipping a gradual comeback.
• She has not played in 18 months, since the 2024 Pacific Championships final, and will face Queensland in Newcastle.
• Teammate Emma Verran, who is pregnant, called Elliott an inspiration for balancing motherhood and elite sport.
• Elliott credited the NRLW’s pregnancy policy and support from her family, the Roosters, the Blues, and the NRL for her return.
• The Blues have lost both previous Origin matches in Newcastle, and Elliott hopes for a better result on Thursday.
• Her comeback highlights the evolving support for female athletes navigating pregnancy and motherhood in professional rugby league.