The Sky Blues are on course to sweep the opening women's three-match State of Origin series after a convincing 22-12 win over Queensland in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium.
Behind enemy lines, the Sky Blues shrugged off concerns over a new half-back combination and a lack of competitive games ahead of Thursday night.
The Sky Blues celebrate their win in the first game.Credit: Getty
Coach Kylie Hilder, who entered the press conference room beaming alongside skipper Isabelle Kelly, said it was a flawless performance from her team.
“It was an outstanding team performance,” Hilder said. “I can't fault anybody. Everybody went out there tonight and did their job and showed up for each other. Really, really proud of the girls' effort tonight.”
The Sky Blues cruised to victory with a powerful 14-0 first-half run and now have the chance to close out the historic run with a game in hand when they host the Maroons in Newcastle on June 6.
Hilder said starting fast had been a focus in camp all week.
“We like to start fast, but I'd have to say our defense was more of a focus than our attack, to be honest. We wanted to make sure our defense was strong tonight, and that was our priority, and it was just about completing sets and showing up for each other on defense.”
The manager's surprise call to replace teenage sensation Jesse Southwell with veteran half-back Rachael Pearson proved a masterstroke.
The 30-year-old drilled a touchline drop that signaled the start of NSW's first-half dominance in front of a record 25,492 all-female crowd.
Rachael Pearson was impressive on Thursday night.Credit: Getty
Pearson continued to hit with prowess, showing little sign of the calf injury that has hampered him this month, and pulled off a one-on-one save against Tarryn Aiken in the second half as Queensland clawed their way back into the game.
Hilder said he always knew he made the right decision choosing Pearson over Southwell.
“I thought Rachael was outstanding. Our two halves, Racahel and Corbin, did their jobs and did exactly what I asked them to do, did exactly what we expected them to do and [it] it was the reason I elected them to these positions,” he said.
The experienced Maroons had no answers as the visitors moved the ball at breakneck speed early on.
Jaime Chapman scores for the Sky Blues.Credit: Getty
Gold Coast center Jaime Chapman was excellent on the wing, first booting the line break that put the Sky Blues in position for Emma Tonegato to open the scoring, before getting inside Emily Bass and burning Dally M medalist Tamika Upton to run 80. meters and score from a kick return.
“It's great to have someone like Jaime Chapman in your team when he's got that speed, but all our outside talks [were great]Hilder said.
“I'm really blessed with the back five I've got, the yards they get and put us on the front foot every time, and then we get our forward pack to finish it off.”
The Maroons enjoyed plenty of football after the break and threatened to chase the visitors, with Upton going over for the Maroons' first try after being well contained up to that point.
Shortly after Emma Manzelmann spilled the ball over for what could have been the second, Johnston hit back for NSW. Emily Bass scored a late try for the Maroons, but it proved too little too late, with the damage done in the first half.
With AAP
