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Queensland upset NSW to avoid women's State of Origin whitewash
Jasper Bruce, AAP • May 30th, 2025 8:00 am
Photo: AAP
Chelsea Lenarduzzi has saved Queensland the embarrassment of a women's State of Origin series whitewash, scoring the late try that confirmed an 18-14 upset defeat of NSW in Newcastle.
After being dominated in two big losses, the Maroons forward pack muscled up for the sake of state pride in a dour affair sullied by some inexplicable errors from both sides.
Queensland looked down for the count when Shenae Ciesiolka (knee) and Destiny Brill (rib) suffered mid-game injuries either side of half-time on Thursday night.
They'd also lost star fullback Tamika Upton (hip) and centre Rory Owen (medical issue) ahead of Origin III, the latter hospitalised on game day with a jaw infection.
The Maroons trailed by eight points with 20 minutes to play before second-rower Romy Teitzel pounced on a Tarryn Aiken grubber kick to score and pull her side closer to parity.
NSW with the winning spoils | Photo: AAP
After a quiet first two games that called her Origin future into question, Maroons captain Ali Brigginshaw set up the game-winning try after coming on as bench hooker.
She changed direction at dummy half to put prop forward and Brisbane teammate Lenarduzzi over with a short ball.
"We're best mates so to see her cross the line, that's a bit of an iconic play for her. She's had a great series," Brigginshaw said of Lenarduzzi.
"I'm really proud to call her my mate."
Lenarduzzi, omitted from game one, was sin-binned in the final seconds for holding Tiana Penitani Gray in the ruck as the Blues waged one last, ultimately unsuccessful, attack on the Maroons' line.
"I'm disappointed for the girls to not get that (whitewash) result," said Blues coach John Strange.
"But to be fair, Queensland definitely came with the desperation of a side that didn't want to go 3-0.
"We were a little bit off but I'm still really proud."
Lenarduzzi's fellow middle forwards Makenzie Weale and Jess Elliston were immense with 143 and 140 metres respectively.
Weale scored the first try of the night and Elliston was named player of the match, while NSW lock Olivia Kernick earned the Nellie Doherty Medal as player of the series.
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The result may ease pressure on Tahnee Norris, whose position as Maroons coach had appeared under threat following two hefty defeats to begin the series.
Questions still remain as to the Origin future of Brigginshaw, 35, following a lukewarm series that admittedly ended on a high.
Both sides were guilty of some woeful errors in game three.
Teitzel's opening kick-off did not go 10 metres, while Blues captain Isabelle Kelly failed to ground the ball when she slid into the in-goal for what appeared a certain four-pointer in the first half.
Kelly became emotional addressing the incident at full-time, choking back tears.
"I'm obviously someone that gets quite disappointed when I let my team down, it makes me a bit emotional, like right now," she said before bowing her head.
Jess Sergis helped Kelly save face, crashing over on the right shortly after, before Jesse Southwell gave the Blues a two-point half-time lead finding Jayme Fressard with a cut-out pass on the left.
Blues forward Kennedy Cherrington did not return after half-time, having suffered a knee injury that could impact her NRLW season with Parramatta.
"(It's a) PCL or MCL, potentially, but she'll go for scans," Strange said.
"Hopefully for her, going into NRLW now, it's not too serious."
