Two stunning breakaway attempts from powerful center Jaime Chapman have led the Indigenous women to a 26-4 thrashing of the Maori Stars in Townsville.
Chapman’s contributions, which crossed the Maori line twice and ran halfway down the field to score, helped the Indigenous team capitalize on their dominance and claim the easy victory on Friday night.
The errors ruined any momentum the Maori team could find, completing just 46 per cent of their sets in the first half as they fell into a gaping 16-0 hole.
Two stunning breakaway attempts from powerful center Jaime Chapman have led the Indigenous women to a 26-4 thrashing of the Maori Stars in Townsville.
Chapman quickly extinguished any thoughts of a comeback, charging 60 meters to put his team 22-0 up early in the second half.
Reigning Dally M Medalist Tamika Upton got the show going early, and her clever scouting found Indigenous teammate Shaylee Bent for the first points of the game.
After Chapman’s first, center Bobbi Law made a brilliant play and passed to winger Kimberley Hunt.
Rain made for greasy conditions at Queensland Country Bank Stadium but did not excuse poor Maori ball security, which thwarted a sequence of chances in the opposition line early in the second half.
Winger Jasmin Strange finally got them on the board with 10 minutes left after a strong pass from Ash Quinlan.
But indigenous number 7 Kirra Dibb, who gave a kicking masterclass to help them take control of the territorial battle, iced the contest with a delicate grubber, beating the Maori line and allowing Hunt to double up.
Along with her two tries, Chapman managed 192m running and six missed tackles, while bench prop Grace Kemp (81m, three missed tackles) was close to the game’s best forward.
Shannon Mato battled deep for the Maori and ran 121 meters to lead her team.
The pattern of wins and losses between the two teams in the annual meeting continued, having alternated victories in the six years that the format has been in operation.