Women's State of Origin III quick hits: Brigginshaw not retiring, Kelly emotional over try blunder
Here are five quick hits from the conclusion to the Women's State of Origin series.
Ali Brigginshaw became the target of some justified criticism after struggling as Queensland lost the first two games of this year's State of Origin series.
Unfortunately, along with that came horrible, inexcusable vitriol on social media, with her wife revealing this week they had been told to "kill themselves".
It came as coach Tahnee Norris made a shrewd reshuffle in an attempt to spark the Maroons and save some state pride.
Lauren Brown and Tarryn Aiken formed a more dynamic attacking halves pairing in Game III, while Brigginshaw came on after the 15-minute mark and stayed for the duration, orchestrating from the middle of the field as a dummy half and link option at lock.
After the game ended a "really tough" week, 35-year-old Brigginshaw was adamant she had no plans to retire.
"Tonight I remembered why I play footy. I love it and I got to do that again tonight," she said.
"I do want to keep playing on. I think people just look at your age and think that's enough. I still love my footy.
"I'm not saying people have to pick me just because I've been here before. I'm really proud to represent Queensland. I do anything, I play any position I'm asked."
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Win or lose, the Newcastle fans would get to see their team lift the shield on Thursday night, so the vibes were high in the lead-up to kick-off.
But immediately the fans, many of whom were still yet to find their seats, were left rubbing their eyes as the Maroons offered up one of the worst kick-offs you'll ever see.
Trying to be unorthodox to unsettle the rampant Blues, they tried to go short (and did) but barely kicked the ball 5 metres forward before it skidded over the sideline.
Then, with NSW trying to recover after Chelsea Lenarduzzi's 65th-minute crashball try, Jesse Southwell tried a similar kick and actually nailed it.
Right winger Jaime Chapman appeared to wait just long enough before grabbing the ball just after it crossed the red 40m line. But everyone, including the Blues, stopped in their tracks, forgetting the golden rule: Play to the whistle.
Eventually, the whistle came from Belinda Sharpe and the penalty was blown, even if it didn't seem right.
Isabelle Kelly's botched try in the 21st minute felt like a bit of a funny sideshow.
She dove in untouched after a lovely left-side shift and the try was awarded, but before Southwell could take the conversion, referee Sharpe blew the whistle for a bunker review.
It did look very easy? Was there an obstruction in the lead-up? Had a Queenslander hit her as she scored and we were looking at an eight-point try?
No. As it turned out, she had been held up. By herself. The ball had never managed to make contact with the ground through her own right forearm.
A pedantic, if technically correct, implementation of the rule we could all share a derisive chuckle about in a dead rubber, but not Kelly.
With the margin ultimately only four points, the NSW captain couldn't get through her explanation of the event even after lifting the shield.
"I'm obviously someone that gets quite disappointed when I let my team down, it makes me a bit emotional, like right now. Sorry," Kelly told reporters before choking back tears and taking a minute to compose herself as coach John Strange hailed his skipper as "an inspiration" to her teammates, the next generation and Strange himself.
It was a reminder of how much this series and this game means to Kelly and her ilk.
ABC Sport is live blogging every round of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2025.
Origin loves its villains, and the Blues might just have one in Jayme Fressard.
The Roosters winger was given the nod on the left flank of this formidable Blues backline this season and didn't disappoint, with four tries in her first series.
But the fiery 27-year-old also added a bit of mongrel in Game III, getting in the face of every Maroons player who dared to challenge her, including but not limited to Sienna Lofipo, Shenae Ciesiolka and Lauren Brown.
As she left the field at half-time, like the best heels, she acted like she was an innocent victim in all this and it was the Queenslanders who started it all.
"I feel like that's all they've got, just try to get us angry, so keep going," Fressard told Nine.
As NSW searched desperately for a fissure in Queensland's 12-woman defensive line after the siren, it was fitting that it was the veteran Brigginshaw who perfectly read and pinched Yasmin Clydsdale's pass.
She could go to ground and her teammates would swarm her in joy.
Instead, she kept running for 20 metres. OK, sure, you can't pass up a shot at a runaway try. But she was mowed down and then … she offloaded. Peculiar.
Emily Bass caught the ball on the right wing. Surely she would just hoof it over the sideline, right? Nope. She jinked in-field and, perhaps reading from her skipper's songbook, she passed too.
Debutant Georgia Hannaway had the misfortune of being the support player in position and was suitably stunned to receive the pass under pressure and couldn't handle, giving the ball back to the Blues right on halfway.
"They're in front, what are they doing?" Phil Gould cried from the Nine commentary box.
Fortunately for the Maroons, Tarryn Aiken and Julia Robinson arrived on the scene to tackle NSW fullback Abbi Church and officially end the match.
It was like the Maroons had somehow pulled off the Great Escape, but hung around to do some sick wheelies just in front of the guard tower, and it almost cost them dearly.
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