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AAP
AAP
Sport
Joel Gould

Close encounters of the Choppy kind give Maroons belief

Maroons Tahnee Norris Queensland Darren England New South Wales Rugby Origin State of Origin
Qld will aim to retain the women's Origin shield, with a Maroons legend giving them inspiration. (Brendon Thorne/AAP PHOTOS)

When Queensland forward Tazmin Rapana "flipped the bird" at the NSW crowd after scoring a try in last year's State of Origin series, it was also a one-fingered salute to Maroons legend Chris Close.

Close, known universally as "Choppy", played in the inaugural men's Origin game in 1980 and was man of the match in a 20-10 win.

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