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ueensland Rugby League (QRL) has announced a new partnership with Gatorade, with the sports drink brand set to become the official hydration partner of the Queensland Maroons and the state’s representative teams.

The deal comes after the QRL and Queensland Maroons announced a new, six-year apparel partnership with PUMA last week.

QRL chief operating officer, Rohan Sawyer, said the deal is another boost for the QRL and its representative teams ahead of their upcoming seasons.

“QRL is thrilled to team up with the global number one sports drink brand in Gatorade, whose desire to be a leader in their field through sport science leadership and excellence is right on par with our values,” Sawyer said.

“We are coming off an immensely challenging but rewarding 12 months, where we believe we have set our organisation and our people up for the future.

“Having Gatorade join on our partnership family arms us with even more confidence, both on and off the field,” he said.

As part of the deal, Gatorade will assume activation rights for sports hydration, inclusive of athlete testing and high-performance research to support elite and community athletes within QRL.

Gatorade head of marketing, Tracy Hardwick, said the brand is excited to add the Queensland Maroons to their partner family for 2021 and beyond.

“State of Origin is one of the greatest rivalries in Australian sport and it provides the perfect opportunity to work closely with rugby league’s best players from Queensland in their quest for peak performance throughout Origin and the rest of the season,” Hardwick said.

“We are proud to keep the Queensland Maroons hydrated and look forward to a strong partnership in 2021 and beyond,” she said.