New South Wales have beaten Queensland 20-14 in Canberra to claim the women's State of Origin crown for the first time since 2019.
Both sides scored three tries apiece, with the greater accuracy off the boot of Rachael Pearson the major difference.
NSW halfback Pearson kicked two conversions and two penalty goals, while her opposite number, Ali Brigginshaw, missed a shot from just left of the posts after Destiny Brill's opener in the ninth minute.
Bench utility Lauren Brown also missed a conversion from the sideline that would have tied the scores at 14 with just over 10 minutes left.
The Maroons missed another chance when winger Julia Robinson expertly swooped on a Brigginshaw bomb and offloaded to centre Shenae Ciesiolka to score with four minutes left. But the bunker intervened and found both outside backs were offside from the kick.
It was perhaps for the best to avoid any controversy, after the Sky Blues had only just had a try dubiously taken off them at the other end.
The bunker said what looked like a forward pass, which the video referee cannot rule on, was actually a knock-on from Olivia Kernick in the lead-up to a Tiana Penitani try.
The exciting ending was fitting for a game in which both sides regularly traded tries, with four scored in the opening half, including remarkable solo efforts from opposing five-eighths Kirra Dibb and Tarryn Aiken.
NSW looked the dominant side for much of the game, but Queensland held on and appeared to be on track for a miracle win after Evania Pelite's 57th-minute try on the left wing, but Brown's missed conversion and Kelly's game-sealing try put the result to bed.
Look back at all the action in our blog below.
Key events
- FULL-TIME: NSW wins Women's State of Origin for the first time since 2019
- What a try!! Nope. No try. Offside.
- NSW is in off a very dubious pass, and the bunker has called it a knock-on
- Brown hits the post!
- Brutal bomb from Brigginshaw
- Record crowd for a Women's State of Origin match
- The Sky Blues lead by a converted try
- HALF-TIME: NSW leads 14-10
- Rachael Pearson makes it 14-10 for NSW
- Kick-off
- Teams are 1-17
Live updates
By Jon Healy
We'll call it there, but not for long
Well what a game. That was everything you could have hoped it would be and so quintessentially State of Origin. All that was missing was Queensland making good on the unlikely comeback they threatened to pull off.
We'll be back on Sunday night to blog the men's game. So I'll see you then.
By Jon Healy
Isabelle Kelly is named player of the game
Fitting that she should wear the Nellie Doherty Medal, because she was one of the Sky Blues' best tonight, but picking a player of the game isn't that simple tonight.
Keeley Davis, Kezie Apps, Caitlan Johnston, Jessica Sergis, Kirra Dibb … all of them were spectacular.
Kelly says she hopes people "stick around to watch us for the rest of the year". Just a reminder there is a second NRLW season and a World Cup coming up later this year.
By Jon Healy
FULL-TIME: NSW wins Women's State of Origin for the first time since 2019
What an amazing game! It was tight as all hell, but NSW was definitely the better side. Honestly, I'm not sure how this game was as close as it was. It seemed like the Sky Blues were on top all night, but the Maroons just kept hanging in there, until that late Isabelle Kelly try.
NSW coach Kylie Hilder gets absolutely mobbed by her players. They all love this woman by the looks of things.
The finish to that game was frankly insane, with Ali Brigginshaw threatening to win the game for Queensland largely with her boot, aided by some freakish hands from Julia Robinson. But the bunker found her offside, and Kelly went down the other end and made sure of things.
By Jon Healy
70th minute: Keeley Davis recovers the short kick-off for NSW. That should do it.
Queensland has 20 seconds to go 98 metres.
By Jon Healy
Isabelle Kelly! Has she sealed it for NSW?
After Johsnton's big run, she got a rapid play-the-ball and the ball spun out to Kelly, who's been one of NSW's best tonight, and she bumped off Ciesiolka and Upton before diving in.
But Rachael Pearson misses the sideline conversion, so the lead remains one converted try with two minutes left. Can Queensland pull off another miracle?
By Jon Healy
67th minute: Caitlan Johnston sends them scattering like 10 pins and again Brittany Breayley-Nati brings her down just short of the line.
By Jon Healy
What a try!! Nope. No try. Offside.
Julia Robinson made an amazing catch off a Brigginshaw bomb and offloaded expertly to Shenae Ciesiolka, but both of them were offside.
Heartbreaking.
By Jon Healy
66th minute: The Maroons look too tired to execute any of their plays right now, so they resort to a Brigginshaw.
By Jon Healy
64th minute: The Maroons hand back possession with a knock-on of their own. Karma?
NSW tries the barge-over with Simaima Taufa, but she's juuuuuust held up. Maroons trucking off their tryline once again.
By Jon Healy
NSW is in off a very dubious pass, and the bunker has called it a knock-on
Olivia Kernick was absolutely trying to pass in the tackle from Emily Bass, and found Tiana Penitani. It was awarded a try on the field, but the bunker, which can't rule on forward passes, decided the ball was jolted loose from Kernick before she wanted.
Wow. Big call.
By Jon Healy
63rd minute: The Maroons tried for a 40/30, but no such luck. It was closer to a 40/20, but got neither. And the Blues are steaming down the field.
By Jon Healy
61st minute: Queensland is caught on the last and hands the ball back to NSW on their 20m line.
Simaima Taufa makes big metres for NSW, getting them onto Queensland's 40m line with momentum. Kirra Dibb follows up with a crafty kick, but the Maroons make great metres off the back of it.
By Jon Healy
Brown hits the post!
The third kick for Queensland to hit the woodwork tonight. Brutal for the Maroons with this game so close.
NSW leads 16-14 heading towards the final 10 minutes.
By Jon Healy
EVANIA PELITE YOU STAR!
It looked for all money like Tarryn Aiken was caught on the last, but Pelite brought out her rugby skills, ripping the ball from her teammate like it's a maul and scooting around the outside to score right in the corner.
Brigginshaw has struggled with the distance tonight and has a long kick ahead of her here. But it's actually Lauren Brown taking the kick.
By Jon Healy
57th minute: Queensland reloads after Sergis hits Upton high.
Lauren Brown is held up over the line after a dummy-half burrow.
By Jon Healy
Brutal bomb from Brigginshaw
After all that defence, bending and threatening to break, the Maroons finally get up the other end and Ali Brigginshaw torpedo bombs to Yasmin Clydsdale, who can't handle. Great chance for Queensland.
By Jon Healy
53rd minute: Pearson puts Tonegato through a gap, and Tamika Upton stops her.
A bit of a fracas! A messy fifth-tackle play ends with Kezie Apps knocking on, then she hits Tazmin Gray in an unnecessary driving tackle and hangs around. I don't think Gray appreciated it much at all.
The rest of the players mixing it up seemed to be having fun though.
By Jon Healy
51st minute: Tonegato breaks up the middle again! She's hit hard by Brigginshaw, but more scything runs from the Sky Blues.
Emily Bass fields a grubber on her tryline, and Robinson and Pelite make great charges, but again the Maroons kick from inside their 40m area.
By Jon Healy
50th minute: Almost disaster for NSW. Brigginshaw grubbered through to Yasmin Clydsdale, who tried to pass away from the wall of Maroons defenders coming her way and it ended up back in the in-goal with Tonegato. It was an incredibly risky pass right on her tryline (shades of Phil Duke and Phil Sigsworth), but luckily for her, Brigginshaw knocked it on.
