For the second consecutive year, New South Wales have secured the Women's State of Origin shield after a thrilling 14-10 victory over Queensland in game two at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The match, played in front of a crowd of 23,846, came down to the final minute, with video review narrowly denying Maroons winger Jasmine Peters a try that would have levelled the scores.
Dramatic Finish
The result appeared to be slipping away from the Blues when Peters crossed in the right corner with less than a minute remaining, sparking celebrations among the Queensland players and fans. However, the video review showed that her toe had been swept over the line in a desperate tackle by Teagan Berry, who had initially looked beaten. Berry was subsequently hailed as a hero, with Blues halfback Jesse Southwell saying, "I was stressing big time. Far out, that was so cool." Veteran Kezie Apps added, "Our heart was in our chest there on that last little bit."
Maroons halfback Lauren Brown, who had been preparing to kick a match-winning conversion, was left to commiserate. "Obviously heartbreak in the end," she said. "Jazzy looked good going over there, I thought we may have been in. I was starting to prep myself to kick for the win but unfortunately that wasn't the case, the Blues were too good in the end."
Heroic Defensive Efforts
The dramatic finish encapsulated the Blues' desperate defensive efforts throughout the closing stages. Just ten minutes earlier, Southwell herself had pulled off a remarkable one-on-one try-saving tackle on Peters, stopping her momentum and planting her body underneath as Peters reached for the line. These heroics, combined with Southwell's winning field goal in game one, secured back-to-back Origin shields for New South Wales, consigning the pain of the 2024 series to the past.
One-Sided Start
The nail-biting finish seemed unlikely given the one-sided opening on a wet evening. New South Wales dominated the early exchanges, aided by a succession of Maroons errors. By the time Blues hooker Keeley Nizza crossed after 22 minutes, the visitors led 8-0 and had enjoyed two-thirds of possession. Queensland had completed only three sets to that point, with a success rate below 50%.
The Maroons found their answer from a towering bomb by five-eighth Chantay Kiria-Ratu, which forced an error from Blues fullback Abbi Church just before halftime. Three sets later, Tamika Upton split the defence, putting Rory Owen through a gap to score. Brown's conversion brought the score to 8-6.
Second Half Surge
Queensland took the lead early in the second half when hooker Jada Ferguson burrowed over, after they opted to take a tap from a penalty rather than settling for two points. However, the Blues quickly regained control when Jess Sergis powered through the defence, taking Rory Owen over the line. Southwell's sideline conversion in pouring rain was pure, but it was her late try-saving tackle that will be remembered as an all-time Origin marvel.
