The Indigenous women’s side rebounds from last year’s big loss to beat the Māoris 18-8, kicking off NRL All Stars day on Darug country in Western Sydney.
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By Jon Healy
Jaime Chapman is named player of the game
The 19-year-old showed out with those two tries and some safe hands at the back. I still reckon Caitlan Johnston deserved it, but who can be mad at this rising star getting the nod?
By Jon Healy
FULL-TIME: Indigenous All Stars beat Māori All Stars 18-8
Well what a turnaround from last year’s 24-0 loss. Plenty of stars out there for the Indigenous side, with Tamika Upton typically brilliant, Kirra Dibb influential, Jaime Chapman giving us a glimpse of a rising star, and Caitlan Johnston rampaging as per usual.
What a game that was. Physically taxing and if the weather had been a little better maybe we would’ve seen a little more fast-paced attack, but we still got enough to show off what players like Upton, Chapman, Bo Vette-Welsh and Zahara Temara can do.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Defence from both sides firing up in final five minutes
Things are getting a bit chippy out there as Maori All Stars prop Rona Peters forces the Bobbi Law knock-on, and then Caitlan Johnston gives away successive penalties in tackles right on her tryline – the second of which was a blatant strip somehow only caught by the captain’s challenge.
Maori All Stars surging at the Indigenous line. But Kennedy Cherrington’s desperate offload is mopped up by, of course, Caitlan Johnston. The penalties were silly, but she’s played a blinder today.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Try saver stops Indigenous All Stars from extending 18-8 lead
A lot’s been made of Tamika Upton’s speed, rightly so, but she’s come up with another dynamite cut-out pass to send Bobbi Law down the right wing.
Law tried to hit Zahara Temara with an in and away, but the Maori halfback matched her and tossed her into touch.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Jaime Chapman just misses out on the hat-trick!
She flew through to take the Kirra Dibb high ball and had the line open in front of her, but she just couldn’t keep her feet and stopped half a metre short. Agony for the young star.
And real agony it appears. I think she twisted awkwardly as she landed after making the grab and that may have hurt a little. Dibb checked on her and she waved her away, but one to watch.
By Jon Healy
Kelly-Sines extends the Indigenous lead!
Tommaya Kelly-Sines got the ball from a very tidy offload, but there really wasn’t much on, and she just tucked the ball under the arm, and carried half the Maori side over the tryline, somehow getting the ball down.
Dibb converts, and suddenly it’s 18-8 to the Indigenous All Stars.
By Jon Healy
The fourth quarter is underway
Temara tried the short kickoff again, but this time Keilee Joseph was awake to it.
And the Indigenous All Stars will have a great chance to attack from just 10 metres out as Jasmine Peters’s kick-chase pressure forces the error from the dual try-scorer Stephens-Daly.
By Jon Healy
3QT: It’s still 12-8 to the Indigenous All Stars … just
The Maoris had a dig with one last play for the quarter, with Temara chipping over the top out to the right (offside would’ve been interesting if it went to the video ref).
The offloads came thick and fast, but the Indigenous players scrambled to shut things down.
By Jon Healy
The Maoris are in again!
Zahara Temara timed her pass out the back perfectly to Bo Vette-Welsh, and the star fullback double pumped before launching a long ball to Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly who goes in for a double. That left-side attack paying off again.
Temara can’t convert though. The Indigenous All Stars still lead 12-8 as we head towards the final quarter.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter: Indigenous All Stars lead 12-4 after 10 minutes
Upton goes close on the right, and the Indigenous side would’ve gone over if she could’ve offloaded to Peters, but no luck. And then Chapman almost nabbed a third on the left, but great scramble from the Maoris to take her into touch.
The Maori defence is aiming up now, and I think that’s what forced a forward pass from Kirra Dibb close to the line. The Maoris attack from 60 metres out with three-and-a-half minutes left.
And a penalty straight away will help. Attacking from 30m out.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter: Indigenous All Stars lead 12-4 after six minutes
Indigenous back rower Shaniah Power tries to channel Upton on the other side of the park and can’t find winger Rhiannon Revell-Blair. Great field position for the Maori All Stars now.
And Zahara Temara’s cross-field kick does find Revell-Blair, flying through the air to rescue the Indigenous All Stars at the end of that set.
They’ll get some more help up the field with a penalty drawn by Caitlan Johnston. She’s player of the game for mine right now.
By Jon Healy
Jaime Chapman doubles up!
Jasmine Peters made a superb run down the right to scramble and collapse the Maori defence. The ball went left and found Tamika Upton, who fired a bullet face ball out to Chapman, who just had to fall over the line.
And Kirra Dibb converts from out wide to make it a 12-4 lead for the Indigenous All Stars.
By Jon Healy
Second half starts with some crafty Maori play
It’s the short kick-off for herself by halfback Zahara Temara and she’s regathered! Nicely done.
But they can’t take advantage, with the set-ending grubber bouncing over the dead-ball line.
Aaaaaand the Indigenous side gets a piggyback out of their territory with a very debatable crusher tackle penalty.
By Jon Healy
HALF-TIME: Indigenous All Stars 6-4 Māori All Stars
The Māori All Stars have certainly looked the most dangerous when they’ve gone left – in fact, it’s pretty much the only time they’ve looked to threaten – so introducing Vette-Welsh was a no-brainer and it paid off, somewhat against the run of play.
The Indigenous team has probably been slightly better, but they need to shore up the defence down that wing, otherwise Vette-Welsh, Tiana Raftstrand-Smith and Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly could clean up in the second half.
By Jon Healy
Maori All Stars hit back just before half-time
Bo Vette-Welsh burned I believe Taliah Fuimaono on the outside. The number 18 recovered and had a hold of her jersey, but Vette-Welsh managed to find the offload and winger Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly crossed in the corner.
But Zahara Temara can’t convert from the sideline.
By Jon Healy
Second quarter: Three minutes left and the Maori All Stars are over, but we’re going to the video ref
NO TRY! Bench forward Janelle Williams saves the day.
Raecene McGregor’s grubber nutmegged opposite number Kirra Dibb, and Kennedy Cherrington swooped, but Williams snapped into action to knock the ball loose, forcing the knock-on. Great hustle.
By Jon Healy
Jaime Chapman goes 90 metres to score the opener for the Indigenous All Stars!
The Maoris had the Indigenous side apparently shot to bits on the left side, but Tiana Raftstrand-Smith couldn’t find her winger in a great tackle from Rhiannon Revell-Blair.
So they tried the right-side shift, but a fumble ended up in the hands of Indigenous winger Chapman, who exploded off her own 10-metre line, put a gap on the chasers, and never looked like getting touched.
By Jon Healy
Second quarter: Tamika Upton to the rescue to keep it 0-0 with eight minutes left
Raecene McGregor put in an excellent grubber, curling away and skidding under Jaime Chapman out wide, but fullback Tamika Upton got across to make it a dropout.
By Jon Healy
Second quarter: 0-0 with 10 minutes left
Caitlan Johnston what a tackle! The Indigenous prop and co-captain flew across the line and wrecked another prop, Shannon Mato, who was playing the linking role between the middles and the winger. Amazing shot from Johnston though, to launch her into touch. Another attacking raid defused by excellent Indigenous defence.
By Jon Healy
Second quarter: Still 0-0
Maori winger Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly makes an unforced error in the play the ball, but Keilee Joseph follows suit with an error of her own at the other end.
Greasy conditions mean the speedsters out wide and at the back aren’t making much impact yet.
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