Jillaroos captain Ali Brigginshaw wants to finish her storied rugby league career with another World Cup win after confirming she would be available for RLWC2026 despite retiring from State of Origin.

Brigginshaw, who is widely regarded as a future NRL Hall of Famer, was a member of the 2013 Jillaroos team which ended the Kiwi Ferns domination and remains co-captain of the Australian team – a role she has held since 2018.

The superstar playmaker also won the player-of-the-match medal in the finals of RLWC2017 at Suncorp Stadium and RLWC2021 at Old Trafford in 2022.

She will partner rookie Jillaroos halfback Jesse Southwell at the scrumbase for Brisbane in this year’s NRLW competition and is hoping to bow out with back-to-back premierships and a fourth consecutive World Cup victory.

“The World Cup is still in my sights, I still want to make it at the end of the year,” Brigginshaw said. “I would be really proud to end there, but I am going to do whatever it takes for the Broncos first.

“I absolutely love representing my country and playing for the Jillaroos. My goal was to get the Jillaroos on the map and get people talking about the Jillaroos, that’s always been my main focus and it still is.”

Asked about the possibility of winning a third player-of-the-match medal in a World Cup final, a defiant Brigginshaw said: “You never know what can happen at the end of the year”.

Ali Brigginshaw is aiming to play in her fourth World Cup. Photo: Getty Images

The 36-year-old made the decision to stand down from Origin to preserve her body for the end of the season, but insists she still has plenty to give for both the Broncos and Jillaroos.

Brigginshaw was the first player to play 50 NRLW matches and has never missed a game since the NRL Women’s Premiership was founded after the 2017 World Cup.

“I remember when I was told I would never play rugby league so to play 50 and never miss an NRLW game is something I am very proud of,” she said.

“The main thing with me hanging up the boots from Queensland was to take the pressure off a little bit.

“I have loved my time with Queensland jersey but being able to focus solely on the Broncos and what I have got to do there. I am still enjoying it, my body feels great, so I want to have a bit of fun in my last year and get the premiership again.”

In the meantime, she is a leading cast member on the sports reality TV show, Rivals, an eight-week series Kayo, which pits a rugby league team comprising of Brigginshaw, Josh Addo-Carr, Jamie Chapman and Reece Walsh against athletes from other codes.

Brigginshaw is the captain of the Rivals rugby league team and after being forced to stop playing at 12-years-old because there was no female competitions, she said it was a humbling and uplifting experience.

“I never thought I would play rugby league as a woman so to be able to represent rugby league on a TV show, I still pinch myself,” Brigginshaw said.

“It wasn’t so long ago that we didn’t have anywhere to play or to be a part of any sport, so to see how powerful and athletic the females on the show all are is so inspiring.

“We were all keeping up with the boys, it wasn’t that the boys were better at something than the girls, we were all on an equal playing field.

“The boys were so respectful too, and for Rivals to choose a female to be a leader of our team I thought it was a really special opportunity and a great challenge towards the end of my career.”