New South Wales were looking to put a cherry on top of the cake when they attempted to lift the shield off the back of a series whitewash over Queensland in Newcastle.
The Blues boasted a new look this year with John Strange taking over from Kylie Hilder and ushering in several fresh faces. And the reboot has worked as his side toppled QLD 32-12 in the opener before cruising to a 26-6 win in Game II.
So, could the home side pile more misery onto the Maroons and claim a clean sweep during the state's historic first victory in a three-match women's series?
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Playing for pride, Queensland couldn't have gotten off to a worse start as their attempts at a short kick-off went badly wrong in bizarre scenes at McDonald Jones Stadium.
"We were all waiting for the kick-off and the big collision and she's kicked it three yards," Phil Gould chuckled on Nine.
The error gave the Blues prime field position but Julia Robinson came up with two brilliant tackles to keep the Blues at bay as the winger showed her commitment to the cause.
First, she rushed up and jammed Jessica Sergis to stop a crisp backline shift, before she bustled Jaime Chapman into touch as the Gold Coast star attempted to touch down in the corner.
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The two reprieves allowed the visitors to go up the other end and nearly hit the scoreboard themselves only for Sienna Lofipo to be denied by the Bunker.
However, the Queenslanders weren't to be denied as Makenzie Weale soon muscled her way over on a fifth-tackle crash play.
Abbi Church then produced a brilliant try-saver when she twisted Emily Bass onto her back in the in-goal to deny another QLD try.
This was one of many close calls with Isabelle Kelly then denying herself a four-pointer in bizarre circumstances.
She strolled over untouched, after dazzling lead-up work from Church out the back of shape, yet the captain failed to actually put the ball down on the ground as the Bunker intervened once again.
"Why are we so pedantic?" Gould bemoaned. "That's a try."
Sergis spared her teammate's blushes a set later though as she stepped her way over thanks to some late footwork at the line and a strong palm off of Robinson.
Smelling blood, Jesse Southwell was up to her usual tricks just before the break as the halfback feigned to go short before firing an arching ball out to her winger, Jayme Fressard, to score for the third match in a row.
Jocelyn Kelleher extended the 8-6 lead midway through the second period with the No.14 exploiting a tired defensive line out of dummy-half to slide over under the posts.
The Maroons refused to go quietly though as Tarryn Aiken threaded a grubber into the in-goal area for Romy Teitzel to pounce on and cut the deficit to just two points.
Chelsea Lenarduzzie then landed the knockout blow with her first Origin try as she bulldozed her way over the line to hand the visitors an 18-14 win while fending off the whitewash.
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Olivia Kernick continued her dream run as she added yet another medal to her collection. The NSW forward was awarded the Nellie Doherty Medal after being crowned the Player of the Series.
The reigning Dally M Medal winner was strong in the series opener, notching 118 run metres and 26 tackles during the 32-12 win.
However, her best game came in Sydney with the lock running rings around the Maroons on her way to bagging a double, running for a game-high 242 metres and topping her side's tackle count in an utterly dominant display.
In a losing side, Kernick was once again tireless in defence as she made a game-high 40 tackles while she also made 79 run metres during the 18-14 loss in Game III.