Late try helps Maroons save face in Game 3 of women's Origin series
Related: NSW Blues wrap up Origin series with rain-soaked win over Queensland Maroons
Advertisement
Powerful Maroons prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi crashed over from an Ali Brigginshaw pass with four minutes to go, taking three Blues defenders with her, to put Queensland into the lead and spoil the Blues' party. 'Ali actually gave me a bit of a look, and I knew what she meant,' Lenarduzzi said. 'It's one of my favourite plays, and worked at the right time.'
The pair combined for the deciding try, but their impact was also central from the start of Thursday's improved Queensland performance. Maroons coach Tahnee Norris sent shock waves through the sport before kick-off when she named Brigginshaw – captain and Jillaroos great – on the bench and promoted Lenarduzzi to the starting lineup. The burly prop played the first ten minutes and helped set the tone after the Maroons suffered 32-12 and 26-6 defeats earlier in the series.
Aided by the physicality of Lenarduzzi – who was not selected for the first game and played off the bench in the second – Queensland offered early punch, and were rewarded with a seventh minute try to Makenzie Weale.
'An Origin is still an Origin,' Lenarduzzi said afterwards. 'You represent yourself, your state, and this group is really cool, we've had a really good time in camp, and we've obviously been really disappointed the last couple of games, so we needed a show we were capable of.'
Advertisement
Although NSW had already secured the shield, another strong crowd of 21,912 turned out in Newcastle, consolidating the city's status as the home of women's rugby league. They came despite a forecast of rain that turned into a downpour at the final whistle. And they were treated to a mix of the brilliant and the bizarre in a tight contest.
Related: Maroons seek to avoid historic State of Origin sweep as Hayley Maddick makes up for lost time | Jack Snape
The game's strangest moment came midway through the first half, when Blues captain Isabelle Kelly crossed untouched for what seemed to be a try to put her side on the board. Kelly slid into the in-goal, but skidded across the turf on her ball-carrying arm without completing the grounding. The mistake was an embarrassment for one of the game's most accomplished players, who shook her head as she watched the replay and the bunker disallowed the try.
It was the standout in a series of wild sequences in the first half, which also included two more disallowed tries – both would-be try-scorers adjudged out of play by millimetres – a fiery tussle between Queensland winger Julia Robinson and her opposite number Jaime Chapman, and one of the season's best try-saving tackles.
Advertisement
Maroons centre Emily Bass grabbed a bouncing ball a metre out from the Blues try line with no one in front of her, but NSW fullback Abbi Church managed to race in and twist her opponent to prevent the grounding. It was a piece of skill befitting the Origin stage, as was the 20m cut-out pass by Jesse Southwell to set up the Blues' second try.
The Blues had all the momentum in the second half when they raced to a 14-6 lead with 20 minutes to go. Interchange hooker Jocelyn Kelleher leaped out from dummy half and away from the clutches of Brigginshaw to score what appeared to be the decisive four-pointer.
But 35-year-old Brigginshaw would have the last laugh. Five minutes later five-eighth Tarryn Aiken grubbered for Romy Teitzel to score, and then the captain sent Lenarduzzi over to curb celebrations in the Hunter.
'A bit of a disappointing end to the game three, but we've still got to keep our spirits high,' Church said. 'We're still going to get to lift the shield, we would have liked to get that clean sweep, but it wasn't meant to be today.'
Advertisement
Maroons forward Jess Elliston ran for 143m was named player of the match, and Blues' lock Olivia Kernick claimed the award for player of the series.
Related: NSW Blues wrap up Origin series with rain-soaked win over Queensland Maroons
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
10 hours ago
- New York Times
Blues mailbag, Part 1: Season predictions, line combos, Dvorsky's chances, Mailloux's ceiling
ST. LOUIS — After spending some of his offseason in sunny Florida, St. Louis Blues associate coach Steve Ott is back in town. He stopped by the 'Last Minute Blues Podcast' this week, and the excitement from a guy who spent three years playing with the organization and will be entering his ninth season behind the bench was hard to miss. Advertisement 'The excitement, it shows on my face because we have the depth right now, we have the goaltending, we have great leadership,' Ott said. 'Now it's time for the real work. We're still a month away, but the guys will be rolling in here real quick. They'll be excited to get up and running again.' It was a far different scene when Blues coaches and players were rolling out of town last April, after their excruciating Game 7 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the NHL playoffs. But four months removed, they're using it as motivation. 'If you asked every one of our players how (ticked) off they were to lose that Game 7, we're all in the same boat,' Ott said. 'But it lit a fire because when you have expectations to win again, that makes you do the extra squat, the extra run, because you don't want to let the city down. We know the support that we're getting from St. Louis — it's outstanding — and we want to give it back to them.' Otter has us FIRED UP for this season. Hear from the Associate Coach on a new episode of the Last Minute Blues Podcast 🎧 — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 13, 2025 When the Blues report to training camp in a month, they'll welcome veterans Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad, who were signed in free agency, and Logan Mailloux, who was acquired in the trade for Zack Bolduc. They'll join Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who were the headline additions last offseason, and a growing core of players ages 21-26. 'The fast-tracking, bringing in Holloway and Broberg, was phenomenal,' Ott said. 'It fast-tracked us that extra year, injecting these young guys into the roster, and now you start bringing in the draft picks. There was the trade with (Bolduc), but we're getting a young D-man in Mailloux back. It's neat to see us going through the retool on the fly and getting back to where we have these expectations to win real quick. That's where we are right now.' Advertisement With that as the backdrop, let's get to your questions in Part 1 of the mailbag. Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. After the Blues outperformed expectations in 2024-25, I'm curious about your thoughts going into this season. — Luke D. I thought the Blues could be a wild-card team last season, so they finished about where I figured. I like them even more this season because of the strong second half and a few other factors. No. 1 is having Jim Montgomery in the fold from the first day of training camp. We saw how a couple of weeks off during the 4 Nations Face-Off allowed the coach to get the players on board, so you can imagine what a full offseason will do. No. 2 is that the Blues' culture seemed to be shaping up late in the season. Winning will do that, but I believe the attitude change led to the wins, and the rebuilding of the culture came from that process. It'll be a new season, but a foundation has been started. Regarding the roster, it's fairly similar, which means they should be competing for one of the two wild cards and perhaps a spot in the top three of the Central Division if all goes well. There are some questions and concerns, though. Can Jimmy Snuggerud produce and stay on the top line? Will Brayden Schenn hang on to the No. 2 center spot, and if not, can Suter step up? Can Cam Fowler play at the elite level he did last season? How will Mailloux look in what's expected to be his first full season in the league? So, as usual, lots of intrigue, but overall, I like their chances to be a playoff team. Which is most likely to happen: 1. Snuggerud beats out the Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov for the Calder Trophy. 2. Mailloux plays the second-most power-play moments among defensemen. 3. Holloway gets 70 points. — John N. Holloway gets out of bed and puts up 70-plus points. I'll list Snuggerud winning rookie of the year as a sneaky second. With Mailloux, you have Fowler, Broberg, Justin Faulk and even Colton Parayko who could see more power-play time. I assume the Blues will just want Mailloux to get comfortable in a regular role without adding to his plate. Advertisement Rank in order of most likely to happen: — Kyle F. My order of most likely to happen: • The Blues have seven players score at least 20 goals: Kyrou, Holloway, Jake Neighbours, Thomas, Buchnevich, Schenn, Suter and Snuggerud. • Kyrou scores at least 40 goals: After three straight seasons with 30-plus, he finally breaks through. • Snuggerud scores at least 20 goals: If he plays 50-plus games with Thomas, I'll say yes. • Thomas exceeds 100 points: I'd have this one higher on the list because he's capable, but staying healthy and producing consistently is extremely difficult. • Fowler exceeds 50 points: I'm doubting him, but he was on fire last season and got to 40. • Binnington has at least a .910 save percentage: He was .913 two seasons ago and .900 last season. It'll be tough, but with an improved defense, it's possible. • Buchnevich exceeds 80 points: I'm a little skeptical because he has never done it in his career and is coming off a 57-point season. • Walker delivers over 300 hits: He led the team with 281 hits in 73 games last season. But there's no need for him to hit more — just keep doing what he's doing. Give us your opening-night lines. — Bobby R. Buchnevich–Thomas–Snuggerud Holloway–Schenn–Kyrou Neighbours–Suter–Bjugstad Alexey Toropchenko–Oskar Sundqvist–Walker With the success of the Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line last season, is there any reason not to start 2025-26 with them together? — Daniel M. I don't know what Montgomery's plans are, but you have to, right? According to Natural Stat Trick, the three played 500-plus minutes at five-on-five last season and were on the ice for 29 goals for and 14 against. If the chemistry doesn't return, mix it up. But unless there's a development in camp, I don't see why you wouldn't put them back together. Will Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier still be with the Blues on opening night? — Harry L. There's a good chance they will still be around, and that's not a bad thing. They each had their moments and struggled last season, but they're definitely NHL players who can help and provide depth. The Blues didn't buy them out or waive them, and the players don't have much trade value. If that's the case, it's probably best to just hang on to them. Advertisement What is it that keeps Texier out of the lineup? — Bob S. To me, it's knowing what you're going to get from him consistently. He makes a nice play on a goal and then turns two pucks over. He's tenacious for a stretch and then invisible for a stretch. And where do you play him? He's not a top-six guy, and he's not a fourth-liner. If it's the third line, do you have better options? The Blues do. Radek Faksa won 57 percent of his faceoffs last season, and neither Bjugstad nor Suter was even 50 percent. Is this a potential problem? — Matthew F. It could be, yes. The Blues relied on Faksa on the faceoff dot and don't have a lot to replace him. Bjugstad has been decent in recent years, winning around 50 percent in Arizona and Edmonton, but Suter was below 45 percent the last two seasons in Vancouver. If Walker centers the fourth line, he's 51.5 percent in his career but has far fewer draws. How do you assess Dalibor Dvorsky's chances of making the team out of camp? — Andrew A. I'd say less than 50 percent. There's a reason the Blues got Suter and Bjugstad. If Dvorsky has a great camp, perhaps there's a chance of him starting the season on the wing, but that seems like a long shot. My guess is he'll start in AHL Springfield, and assuming he picks up where he left off last season, we'll see him at some point. Do the Blues have a backup plan for their second-line center in 2026-27 if Dvorsky isn't ready? — Brian R. It's a fair question, but so much can happen between now and then. If it's not Schenn or Suter, the Blues can jump into the free-agency market or find a trade. Which young guy do you think breaks out this season? — Tom L. If the options are Snuggerud, Dvorsky and Mailloux, I'll go with Snuggerud since it appears he'll get a golden opportunity (deservedly so) to produce on the top line. It seems to me that Mailloux is the key to the season. If he's as good as the Blues think, he fills a major need. If he isn't, the defense has a big hole. Thoughts? — Michael P. Your points are valid, but if I'm putting together 10 keys to the season, he's low on the list. The Blues need him to grow into an NHL player, not count on him to make a difference. Can Broberg and Mailloux be a top pair soon? — Tony B. Depending on Fowler getting re-signed, I can see Broberg playing with Parayko in the top pair. Mailloux has the potential because of his size, play with the puck and physicality, but first he has to prove he's a top-four defenseman. Advertisement What's your latest prediction on the next contracts for Holloway and Broberg? — Todd L. If I'm them, I'm looking for $8 million to $9 million AAV. With a new collective bargaining agreement in 2026-27, seven years will be the max. But if they don't get $8 million to $9 million AAV, they might want a shorter term. Do you see any future issues with Broberg's agent being known for driving up his clients' AAV or taking a shorter-term deal like with Bowen Byram? — Todd L. His agent is Darren Ferris. I don't see an issue. Broberg wanted a chance to play, and Ferris found it in St. Louis; Byram wanted a fair contract, and Ferris got that. Do you expect Joel Hofer to get more games and Colten Ellis to progress enough in the minors to make Binnington expendable? — Larry S. Binnington has two more seasons left on his contract. I don't know that the trade return would make a deal worth it, and I don't think the Blues even know if Ellis is an NHL goalie. I keep hearing speculation that the Blues may still be in on trades. Is there anything to it, or is it just summer clickbait? — Jarrod H. I haven't heard anything specific. The team's trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres regarding Byram cooled before he re-signed, but all it takes is a phone call. Likewise, clubs still like Kyrou. If the Blues' point total is set at 91.5 for the 2025-26 season, are you over or under? — James N. I'll take the over. They had 92 points two years ago and 96 last season, and they're certainly comparable lineups, if not better. I can't wait for Dom Luszczyszyn's 2025-26 season preview! Will the Blues ever have an MVP again? — Ben S. Yes, they will … maybe? I still believe Thomas has a chance, but it goes to show you that stars are tough to find when you don't draft high and free agents want to get paid. It feels like an entire generation of Blues fans has missed out on seeing a star. Are there negative impacts to the organization's not having one? — Chris B. You're not wrong. The negatives would be not having someone who could've single-handedly led the club to more success, young fans who don't have a guy to say, 'I saw him play,' and ownership who could've counted on the ticket sales. (Top photo of Steve Ott: Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Broncos celebrate Brigginshaw's 50th with big win
Three Brisbane players have scored doubles in a thumping 38-4 win over Parramatta to help teammate Ali Brigginshaw enjoy a champagne celebration for becoming the first NRLW player to register 50 games. Julia Robinson, Mele Hufanga and Romy Teitzel all scored twice as the league-leading Broncos put down eight unanswered tries to finish off the Eels. Elsewhere on Saturday, Cronulla pushed their way into the top four with a 12-8 win over Gold Coast and in a drama-filled 20-16 win by Canberra against the Warriors in Hamilton, two players were sent off. The hosts played 46 minutes with 11 players after Matekino Gray was marched for a lifting tackle and Tysha Ikenasio followed her three minutes later for a hip-drop, becoming the second and third players to be sent off in 2025. Brigginshaw, the third most-capped Jillaroo with 26 Tests, is now the most experienced NRLW player but will be joined by Sydney Roosters pair Keeley Davis and Isabelle Kelly on 50 when they face Newcastle in Gosford on Sunday. Watch all the highlights from Broncos v Eels in Round 7 of the NRLW Premiership. — NRLW (@NRLWomens) August 16, 2025 "It's actually been a huge week. I'm so thankful for all the support across the game – been absolutely phenomenal," Brigginshaw said. "I'm just really proud that we didn't fall away as we've done in previous weeks. But today we've proved to ourselves that's not us." A milestone of a different kind came at Sharks Stadium when prop Caitlan Johnston-Green came off the bench in the 26th minute, just 12 weeks after giving birth to daughter Amarah. However as Cronulla gained a key player, they lost another when Kiwi international centre Annessa Biddle (shoulder) was helped from the field. "We'll have to send her for scans to see where she's at. But I don't think it will be short-term if I'm honest with you, so we're not having a lot of luck," coach Tony Herman said. Scores were locked at 0-0 at the break, but the Sharks went down to 12 with Anne-Marie Kiria-Ratu sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle. It allowed Titans halfback Lauren Brown to find the gap on the left edge and score. But two tries – to Emma Verran and Cassie Staples – in three minutes put the Sharks in front for the first time in the 50th minute. The sides traded penalty goals and another confirmed a 12-8 Cronulla win. "It just speaks volumes of the resilience in this squad," Sharks captain Tiana Penitani Gray said. "It's not been easy with injuries and suspensions throughout the year but it's next person up. On the back of adversity comes opportunity." The Raiders' first win off the season, after six straight defeats, was overshadowed by a courageous Warriors fightback and two players back in the sheds. Winger Payton Takimoana bagged a hat-trick, almost getting the visitors home after trailing 16-0.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Walsh inspires Broncos comeback to sink Dolphins
Reece Walsh has stood up in Brisbane's moment of need to fire a stunning second-half comeback in a 38-28 win that sent the Dolphins out of the top eight. When the Dolphins led 28-14 in the 50th minute at Suncorp Stadium the Broncos were ninth on the live ladder. They finished the match in sixth with the Dolphins dropping to ninth. Walsh landed a 40/20 to turn the game in his best match of the year, and possibly career. With captain Adam Reynolds and his halves partner Ezra Mam out injured, Walsh took it upon himself to be the creative force. The 23-year-old marshalled all the genius in his skillset to inspire the comeback. Veteran half Ben Hunt stood up with three try assists in the second half as 'Battle of Brisbane' specialist Kotoni Staggs scored a double in another blockbusting display. Both teams were without key personnel but had plenty of men stand up. Dolphins fullback Trai Fuller, recalled for his first NRL game of the season, scored a 75m individual try for the ages in the opening set after halftime. The scores were locked at 14-all when pocket rocket Fuller brushed through Pat Carrigan and Jordan Riki in a blistering run. Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King darted over from dummy-half and it was 28-14. Trai Fuller cuts them to pieces! 💥Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) August 16, 2025 Walsh, who had kicked the ball out on the full from a restart moments earlier, then landed the crucial 40/20. Winger Deine Mariner scored from the next set thanks to a masterful Hunt pass and it was game on. There was better to come when Walsh started another raid on the last tackle. New five-eighth Billy Walters sent an immaculate cross-field kick for winger Josiah Karapani to finish a sensational team try. Hunt conjured a slick grubber for prop Ben Talty to dive on and the Broncos incredibly had a 32-28 lead. In the first half Walsh set up a try for Staggs and started and finished a 55m attacking raid in cahoots with centre Gehamat Shibasaki. The Dolphins had six of their first-choice pack out due to injury or suspension but second-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and bench prop Josh Kerr provided impetus. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, switched to the centres, had several electric moments and a classic battle with Staggs. The man known as "Hammer" ran a lovely line after half Isaiya Katoa double-pumped and threw him a classic out-ball. The Dolphins did well with limited opportunities and centre Jake Averillo burnt opposite number Shibasaki for a first-half try. Broncos second-rower Jack Gosiewski was ruled out of the match with an AC joint injury in the 12th minute. The home crowd of 44, 350 were treated to the most enthralling derby of the six played so far.
