How the Maroons salvaged Origin pride, as Southwell proves she's the next great halfback
With the Maroons trailing by two in the final minutes of a State of Origin series they'd already lost, Brigginshaw eyeballed Lenarduzzi from dummy half, and popped it up for the bustling forward to barge over for one of her 'favourite plays', and the match winner.
Lenarduzzi didn't play in Game I, in Game II she was added onto the bench and failed to fire, but as a late addition to the starting side in Game III, she thrived to prevent a series whitewash.
The Broncos' prop effectively bulldozed the Blues in her opening stint, tiring their defenders to help lay the foundation for the Maroons' opener.
And in a game littered with momentum swings – and handling errors – it was a defining 11 minutes, proving the Queensland pack wouldn't be outmuscled this time around.
There was an impressive supporting cast who stepped into the spotlight throughout the game, including Tarryn Aiken who cast aside a sub-par kicking game in the first half, to orchestrate much of the Maroons' mayhem in the second.
Julia Robinson was an immense defensive presence — and constant nuisance for her opposing winger Jamie Chapman, who gave as good as she got.
And while Brigginshaw was well below her best this series, which seems likely to be her last, it was fitting that she set up the match-winner and took the final intercept to snuff out any hopes of a Blues comeback after the siren.
But for all the positives the Maroons will take from securing the consolation prize in the dead rubber, it's a series that the Blues undoubtedly deserved to win, and where new superstars were forged.
Reigning Dally M medallist Olivia Kernick won the Nellie Doherty medal for the player of the series, largely off the back of a brilliant Game II, but this series was Jesse Southwell's coming of age.
Once again, her kicking was on point, her passing perfection, and her vision unparalleled.
Her hand in the Blues' second try was especially magnetic.
At first receiver approaching the Maroons' tryline she held the ball for barely a second, which felt like so much longer, such was the way she feigned the slightest dummy, carefully surveyed her options out wide, then delivered a pinpoint two-player cutout for Jayme Fressard to score.
Time is something the great players have a command of, and with each game, Southwell is mastering it.
And while it's unfair, and premature, to compare the 20-year-old Novocastrian to Newcastle's most famous number 7, Andrew Johns himself has heaped praise on her and predicted a bright future.
After debuting for the Blues in 2023, Southwell wasn't selected last year.
The time away has likely fuelled this year's resurrection, and not only has she set herself up as a player for the Blues to build a team around for years to come, a first Jillaroos jersey can't be far off.
Blues fullback Abbi Church was another who had a breakout series, and strong performance in Game III.
Every time the Blues went to Church, they were rewarded.
There was her heroic effort to hold Emily Bass up over the line, incisive line breaks, a clever grubber to earn a repeat set, and a perfectly weighted pass to set up what should have been a try to Isabelle Kelly, who inexplicably failed to ground the ball in the in-goal.
The Eels number one debuted in Game I, dethroning Emma Verran, and now looks to be a mainstay.
Overall this series won't go down as an Origin classic, and once again questions have been raised over the timing of it.
The Queensland competition doesn't kick off till June, with the NSW Premiership and NRLW getting underway in July.
It means both sides effectively come into Origin with no real match fitness, and only a six-week training block to prepare for the series opener.
And post-match, Maroons coach Tahnee Norris was blunt.
"It's the hardest game of football that these girls play in, and they came off the back of nothing," she said.
"We want the best footy that's played. These girls need to be playing NRLW so we can pick them off that. It needs to be in the middle of an NRLW season for sure."
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Many of us are deeply social in practice – attending events, replying to group chats, showing up for work drinks – but feel emotionally cut off. We keep things light. We're funny, dependable, generous. But not vulnerable. Not fully ourselves. And in doing so, we miss out on the nourishment that true connection can bring. It's tempting to try to solve this with another app, a new social initiative, a government-funded campaign. And those all have their place. But there's something more elemental at stake here – something that doesn't require policy or innovation, but courage. We need to talk to our friends. Really talk. We need to be brave enough to say, 'I'm not okay.' Or even just, 'I'm struggling today.' We need to listen to each other without scrambling for solutions. To be present, even if we don't have the perfect words. Of course, that kind of honesty doesn't appear overnight. It takes time, and trust. But the alternative – isolation, both physical and emotional – carries its own costs. Mental ill-health is not just a personal issue. It's a public one. It affects families, workplaces, healthcare systems, communities. And it's growing. We cannot afford to pretend that mental wellbeing is something people can cultivate entirely alone. The most resilient among us still need others. That's why the link between support networks and mental health is so powerful. It gives us something tangible to work with. If we want to improve wellbeing, we can start by expanding our circles. That might mean reaching out to old friends and suggesting a catch-up that's more than just a walk-and-talk. It might mean gently probing when someone gives a breezy 'I'm fine' that doesn't ring true. It might mean noticing who is always the listener and never the speaker – and inviting them to take up space. These small actions don't always feel like mental health interventions, but they are. A text message that says 'thinking of you' might be the first step out of someone's emotional fog. A regular coffee catch-up might become someone's only appointment they truly look forward to. We don't need to be therapists to be impactful. We just need to be consistent, and willing to show up – even imperfectly. And we need to remind ourselves, too, that we are not burdens. If someone cares for us, they probably want to know how we really are. It is not weak to need others. It is human. In a culture that prizes independence and stoicism, this may feel radical. But if the research tells us anything, it's that no one thrives in isolation. We thrive in connection. We flourish in friendship. So maybe the real message from all this data isn't about mental health campaigns or social trends. Maybe it's simpler. Maybe it's this: pick up the phone. Send the message. Make the plan. Build the net before you fall. Because one day, you might need it. And so might someone else.
