With no NRLW action in the lead-up to the women’s State of Origin there were fears that the contest would be below par.
Those concerns were quickly erased at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night as Blues halfback Jesse Southwell put in a dominant performance to propel the visitors to an emphatic 32-12 win over Queensland.
Not that women’s rugby league needs to keep being compared to the men’s version but this match was more entertaining than many NRL matches this season.
The skill level was high and the hits were ferocious despite the players having to rely on training camps and selection trials to get match fitness under their belt.
And there was controversy too with Blues hooker Keeley Davis complaining to referee Belinda Sharpe that she was eye-gouged midway through the first half with Maroons forward Sienna Lofipo accused of the unsavoury act.
Her hand was seen near the face of Davis as she lay on the ground after a tackle in the lead-up to the Blues’ second try but Sharpe appeared unaware of the incident until NSW captain Isabelle Kelly approached her after the four-pointer had been awarded and no on-field action was taken against Lofipo.
NSW coach John Strange took a gamble at the selection table by partnering Southwell with Tiana Penitani Gray, who has had minimal experience in the halves.
But the Newcastle halfback stepped up to organise the attack, kick the Blues out of trouble and set up several attacking raids as they polished off a thoroughly deserving win in their pursuit of reclaiming the shield from the Maroons.
“We started strong and we let them back in the first half. We came out a different team in the second half,” Blues centre Jess Sergis said.
“We played for each other tonight and left them scoreless in the second half.”
NSW have the advantage of hosting the next two matches with the next game at Allianz Stadium on May 15 followed by game three in Newcastle two weeks later.
However, they did win last year’s first match in the inaugural three-game series before surrendering the trophy.
After an uncharacteristic kick out on the full from opposing halfback Ali Brigginshaw in the early exchanges, the Blues drew first blood after a couple of six-again calls when Sergis took advantage of a stretched defensive line.
Queensland equalised when Julia Robinson outleapt Blues fullback Abbi Church and the ball ricocheted perfectly for Lofipo.
Jesse Southwell is tackled. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Isabelle Kelly then produced two moments of magic as the Blues went 14-6 ahead.
First she crossed in the left corner after Olivia Kernick attracted several defenders and then she completed a superb catch and pass at top speed while diving to gift Jayme Fressard a try on debut.
Eels centre Rory Owen responded with a four-pointer in her first game at the diagonally opposite corner of the ground to cut the gap to two at the break.
NSW regained the momentum early in the second half and never looked back.
A Kennedy Cherrington bust skittled the Maroons and they spun the Steeden wide for Fressard to notch her second and an Ellie Johnston crash play close to the line made it 24-12.
A penalty goal all but sealed the win before Church crossed the stripe in the closing stages to hand the Maroons a 20-point thumping.
“The standard of this game is incredible, another level on top of what we’ve seen in the past,” said former NSW men’s coach Phil Gould on Nine commentary when asked about the limited build-up for the players.
“A credit to everyone involved – both sides.”
Southwell a sign of things to come
The pioneers from a decade ago who ushered in the start of the NRLW era have either retired or in the twilight of their careers.
Players like Southwell are now going to become the norm – gun talents who have lived and breathed rugby league since they were teenagers and have had the opportunity to develop their skills in a professional environment after progressing through dedicated junior pathways.
Southwell is only 20 but she plays with the poise of a veteran.
And the scary thing for Queensland is she’s only going to get better.
It may seem a minor thing but the way she thumps the ball from the sideline when taking conversions with booming kicks was simply not seen in women’s rugby league just a few years ago.
There is no doubt that Southwell will have the distance when she launches a strike from the touchline, it’s just whether she will be accurate enough to get it through the sticks. That only comes from proper coaching and hours of dedication on the training paddock.
She finished with a try assist, created a couple of line breaks and a whopping 307 kicking metrres, taking all but four of the Blues’ kicks in general play.
It did not matter that Penitani Gray looked out of position at five-eighth because when a top-line playmaker is running the show from halfback, the rest of the team flows off the back of the on-field general.
Don’t play at Suncorp before Magic Round
You can see the logic behind playing the women’s Origin series opener on the day before Magic Round in Brisbane.
There’s plenty of league fans converging on the city so extend the festival another day with the Origin match on the Thursday night.
It’s great to see women’s Origin at a marquee venue but with Suncorp’s turf having a few issues already this season, playing there before eight straight NRL matches is not ideal.
With no matches in the NSW state capital this weekend, the NRL should apply the reverse logic and put this game on at Allianz Stadium.
All those league fans with nothing to do in the Harbour City should be able to pack the venue out.
Still, the record for a women’s Origin match was broken in Brisbane with 26,022 flooding into Suncorp – hopefully even more turn out for the next one in Sydney later this month with the Blues a chance of wrapping up the shield early.
