Queensland upset NSW to avoid women's Origin whitewash
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘The doctor said I'd won the lottery': Appendicitis may have cost Jack Howarth an Origin debut, but the health scare was a blessing in disguise
Storm centre Jack Howarth probably would have made his State of Origin debut this year had it not been for two separate setbacks, but he says everything happens for a reason after doctors told him he'd 'won the lottery'. Howarth was in the mix for the series opener but was ruled out of contention due to a dislocated shoulder that opened the door for Roosters rookie Robert Toia to make his Maroons debut after just 10 NRL appearances. The powerful Storm centre returned and was part of Queensland's extended squad for game two, with Howarth expected to eventually get his shot given he represented his state in the under 18s and under 19s. The door was open for him to get his crack when Kalyn Ponga went down with a foot injury, but it wasn't meant to be for Howarth, who was struck down with appendicitis just days before the game three squad was announced. Broncos bolter Gehamat Shibasaki was picked at left centre and did a fine job for Billy Slater as the Maroons clinched the series in Sydney, but it could have easily been Howarth celebrating in the sheds with his teammates. 'It's hard to tell. There were a few conversations but there was no definite call (from Slater),' Howarth told the NewsWire. 'I was just happy that I was in the picture to be selected. Everything happens for a reason and maybe it wasn't my time to play. I'm just glad they went out and won, and Shibasaki has been playing great footy and he has an unreal story, so he deserved it. 'As much as it sucked at the time, it worked out that I was able to get my issues fixed, so it wasn't a big loss.' Those issues could have become very serious, with Howarth revealing how quickly things turned for the worse after initially feeling unwell on Monday, June 23, before he had his appendix removed the next day and was out of hospital on the Wednesday. 'Mine was instant,' he replied when asked about the pain, with the Maroons side for the decider named a week later. 'I was lying in bed and I thought I had eaten something off and it was just stomach pain. But it started to get a lot sharper, so I drove myself to emergency that night. 'It was too much of a big line, so I thought 'stuff it' and I just went home. 'I went and told the club doctor my symptoms and she decided to get me checked. They did a little ultrasound, saw it and told me I had appendicitis and needed surgery that day. 'It was such a fast process but I just had to wait for the wounds to heal.' While appendicitis is nothing new for footy players, Howarth says there were other concerns that showed up after the initial ultrasound. He only missed two club games, but it could have been a lot worse if he hadn't been checked out. Jack Howarth is out this week after requiring surgery to have his appendix removed. Storm expect him to miss at least a few weeks (+ Origin 3). Return time can vary, but most are in the 3-5 week range. Quickest - Adam Reynolds returned just 2 weeks post appendix removal in 2017. — NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 25, 2025 'I missed a bit of footy, which sucked, but they also found a bit of internal damage while I was there, so it was a blessing in disguise that I had my appendix checked,' he said. 'I don't know exactly what the other stuff was, but the doctor said I'd won the lottery and that down the track it could have been a lot worse if they hadn't spotted it. 'Everything happens for a reason and I'm just lucky that they found that problem.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Nikita Beriman believes jockeys who suffer any kind of head knock in a fall should be stood down for at least 21 days
Nikita Beriman has called for jockeys who suffer any kind of head knock in a fall to be stood down for a mandatory 21-day period. Beriman would like to see the 12-day stand-down period for concussion in Queensland racing extended after being forced to deal with her own health problems following a nasty four-horse fall at Ipswich early this month that left fellow jockey Mark Du Plessis with a broken rib and three fractured vertebrae. Beriman passed all her SCAT tests and was given the green light to compete on Caloundra Cup Day at the Sunshine Coast on July 5 when she had eight rides, including a winner on Chakra Boy in a $200,000 sprint race. But when she was called to a stewards' inquiry late in the day, she started to feel sick and had to leave the room to vomit, sparking a series of post-concussion symptoms which are still adversely affecting the veteran hoop. 'The body's good, it's just the brain that's not 100 per cent,' she said. 'There are so many components to this, it's so frustrating. 'I just need to rest the best I can and get back to being fighting fit and doing normal things. 'The doctor said it's like shaking the trunk of a tree. You're moving all the branches and leaves and you don't know what part of it is the worst.' In February last year, new concussion guidelines for junior and community sport recommended that athletes wait at least 21 days before resuming competitive contact action. The guidelines were developed by the Australian Institute of Sport in co-operation with Sports Medicine Australia. Beriman said at one stage she struggled to even touch her knees, and being sidelined from the job she loved had been a massive psychological blow that had left the normally happy-go-lucky hoop battling depression at times. 'I've never been depressed but I've had to navigate my way through that,' she said. 'I'm an active person but lately I've been up for half a day and then back in bed resting.' After visiting renowned sports doctor Peter Friis in Brisbane last Thursday, Beriman has been told to rest for the next six weeks before being reassessed for a return-to-riding date. The tough-as-nails Beriman never thought she would become an advocate to keep concussed jockeys sidelined for longer than the current 12-day period but the recent fall has changed her perspective. 'If you fall from a horse at speed, you should automatically be stood down for 21 days because you don't know what the symptoms will be,' she said. 'People can land on their feet and get concussed, it's not all about getting knocked out. 'Concussion works in so many different ways. When it shakes the brain, there are so many things inside the brain that control the way you speak, your sight, your vision, your balance. 'It only takes one to be off, especially in racing. I'm not even allowed to drive a car.' Kevin Ring, the health and safety officer for the Australian Jockeys' Association, said every state and territory, except NSW, had a mandatory 12-day stand-down period for concussion. In NSW, some jockeys are back riding at the track just a few days after suffering a head knock, with each individual case treated differently. Racing Queensland boss Lachlan Murray said a review of the governing body's concussion protocols had been underway since April to discuss how other racing jurisdictions and sports managed the issue. 'The long-term health and wellbeing of our participants will always inform our decision-making,' Murray said on Sunday. 'The introduction of a mandatory 12-day stand-down period was, in our belief, a necessary first step and one that demonstrated the seriousness in which we viewed concussion for our participants.' Ring said that checking footage of any race fall to see how a jockey had landed was crucial to determining whether that person needed to be stood down from riding. He cited the example of Braidon Small, the son of former champion Vo Rogue's rider Cyril, who was involved in a jumps fall at Pakenham in April 2019. Like Beriman, Small passed all the medical tests and was driven home by his partner. But that night he was admitted to hospital at Warrnambool after experiencing a severe headache and was later diagnosed with bleeding on the brain and placed in an induced coma. Small recovered from his injuries but in 2023 he had to overcome two bouts of brain surgery to remove a tumour. 'They ended up looking at footage of the race afterwards and he was in the foetal position for about 15 seconds,' Ring said. 'This has now become a test case. One important thing is to check the film of the race and see how the jockey fell. 'If the rider is taken to hospital, then show the attending doctors how the rider landed. 'But just to stand down a rider because they fell, you're going to have a lot of jockeys up in arms. 'They already have to stand down for 12 days when they have a concussion. Eventually it'll probably be a longer period. 'At the end of the day, we're not the experts on concussion. We have to be guided by the medical experts.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘This isn't a novelty or aberration': Female jockeys set up for success in Queensland
Don't think it's just a one-off. A female jockey will soon create history by winning the Brisbane riding premiership for the first time, but expectations are that it could soon be the rule rather than the exception. As great mates Angela Jones and apprentice Emily Jones have been battling it out for the title, Brisbane Racing Club chairman Richard Morrison has been making plans to cater for the continuation of a trend that is reshaping Australian racing. As part of its broader refurbishment plans at Eagle Farm, Morrison confirmed the BRC is already planning to significantly expand the female jockeys' room to accommodate the growing number of women riding at the top level. 'It's something we're proud to support. We're not just responding to what's happening now, we're preparing for what racing will look like in the future,' Morrison said. 'The growth in female participation is real, it's sustained, and it's only going in one direction.' Morrison, who was elected BRC chairman earlier this year when he replaced long-serving Neville Bell, feels there is a growing wave of female jockeys who are taking racing by storm. 'It's the first time a female rider will win the senior title, but it won't be the last,' Morrison said. 'This isn't a novelty or an aberration. 'It's a reflection of a changing industry and the incredible talent we're seeing from female riders across the board. 'Gone are the days where women were only given rides on outsiders as some kind of token gesture. 'Today, they have the trust of punters and the backing of the leading stables. They're riding the favourites and winning regularly. 'It's not just about the top two. 'Look at the apprentice ranks, there are 21 female apprentices and just eight males currently licensed to ride at provincial meetings in Queensland. 'Across the state, there are more registered female trackwork riders than male and the number of stablehands is similarly skewed. 'Thoroughbred racing across Australia would grind to a halt without the contribution of women.' COBALT MYSTERY Peter Hulbert, 79, has been training for 48 years without any of his horses ever registering a positive swab ... until a recent cobalt case. It is surely one of the cleanest records of any trainer in Australia who has trained over several decades or more. And Hulbert, who trains with son Will, said he is gobsmacked at how former import Dillian tested above the legal threshold for cobalt. 'I've got absolutely no idea,' Peter Hulbert said. 'I will be looking through the (horse) feed and investigating how this could have happened. 'I had to go before stewards on Thursday and that was the first time in 48 years I have been called upon before stewards for a positive swab.' in April and a $5000 fine imposed on its trainers.
