Reliable Vette-Welsh scores highly in player ratings

Player ratings for the NSW Sky Blues team in their Women's State of Origin clash with the Queensland Maroons at Sunshine Coast Stadium.

1. Botille Vette-Welsh. Reliable presence at the back and constantly probed with her running game including some nice dummy-half scoots with a great try-saver early on Destiny Brill. Topped the run-metre tally for both teams with 168. 8/10

2. Yasmin Meakes. Had a lot of tackling to do for a winger but could have come in looking for carries a little more. Got better as the game went on. 6.5

3. Jessica Sergis. Dropped a try with the line open to her great dismay. Hampered in the second half by an ankle injury and shifted to the wing after Penitani injury. Running game was dangerous as always busting a joint-high nine tackles. 6.5

4. Isabelle Kelly. Powerful finish to score the opening try. Potent running game, went searching for the ball and able to offload from anywhere. Second-most metres after Vette-Welsh (160) and equal most busts with Sergis. 8.5

5. Tiana Penitani. Copped plenty of punishment but kept coming – until her ankle was folded awkwardly in a tackle 13 minutes from full time. 6.5

• Queensland Maroons players ratings

6. Corban Baxter. Produced some slick touches under pressure in Blues' early roll-on but not able to find the big plays when the team had to score. 7

7. Maddie Studdon. A couple of unforced errors brought Blues attacking raids undone. Mostly solid in defence with a reliable long kicking game. 5.5

8. Simaima Taufa. A relentless, tireless presence through the middle as always. Cracked 100 metres with 30 tackles and none missed. 7.5

9. Keeley Davis. Crisp, reliable service out of dummy half and robust defence in the middle with a few dangerous runs. Given a long rest after her first spell but it meant she was able to operate at full tempo the whole time. 6.5

10. Millie Boyle. A titanic effort in the middle, bending the line with every one of her 16 carries for 143 metres. One of the Blues' best. 8

11. Kezie Apps. Textbook defence rocked Maroons runners on several occasions but missed Destiny Brill for Queensland's first try. Topped the tackle count from both sides in a tireless captain's knock. 7

12. Sarah Togatuki. Rattled some ball runners with shots that belied her size. Sent for a HIA but involved in plenty of good stuff either side of that. 6

13. Hannah Southwell. Rugged and physical in the early salvos but unfortunately forced off with a rolled ankle after 11 minutes. Strapped up and returned late to produce more of that textbook tackling. 6

Interchange

14. Quincy Dodd. Injected nice and early by Kylie Hilder and was sharp out of dummy half as we've come to expect. Got a long stint before Davis returned making 21 tackles with none missed. 6.5

15. Filomina Hanisi. Got a 14-minute stint in the first half and similar again at the end of the game. Stats will show she gave away the penalty that handed Queensland the match-winner but it was a tight call. 4

16. Kennedy Cherrington. Got under the Maroons' skin from the outset and sometimes that's as valuable as anything. Add in some physical defence and some pinballing carries and you've got yourself an outstanding Origin debut. 6

17. Holli Wheeler. Injected early due to the Southwell injury, bringing a pair of shoulders you don't want to run into. Played just over half the game bringing plenty of starch to the middle before finishing up wider once injuries played a part. 7