‘That’s Issy’: Kelly stars as Sky Blues reclaim Origin shield

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‘That’s Issy’: Kelly stars as Sky Blues reclaim Origin shield

By Caden Helmers

Isabelle Kelly turns to NSW Sky Blues coach Kylie Hilder and says: “I didn’t think I did anything.”

But the Nellie Doherty Medal draped around her neck suggests otherwise. So too, the sight of Kezie Apps lifting the State of Origin shield for the first time since 2019.

So too, the replays of Kelly’s match-sealing try in a 20-14 win over the Queensland Maroons in front of a record crowd of 11,321 at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Friday night.

So too, the 181 running metres and 10 tackle breaks listed next to her name on the stat sheet.

“That’s Issy. Every time Issy comes out and plays a game, that’s how she performs. She gives her all and I’m just so lucky she gets to play in my side and I get to coach her. I’m so proud of her effort,” Hilder said.

Only moments prior to Kelly’s try had the bunker intervened to deny Kelly’s Queensland counterpart Shenae Ciesiolka a four-pointer that would have gifted the Maroons a lead. Hilder feared the Queenslanders had done it again. Because that’s what they do. Well, usually.

The Sky Blues have reclaimed the Origin shield.

The Sky Blues have reclaimed the Origin shield.Credit: Getty Images

But this time the Sky Blues held firm. The back five were sensational. Tiana Penitani looked threatening with every touch, Kelly and Jess Sergis asked questions few seemed to have answers for, and Emma Tonegato felt destined to break the line with every touch.

Simaima Taufa was phenomenal in the middle, and at will debutant Caitlan Johnston would come charging off the back fence like a bull at a gate.

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“We’ve been building towards this for two years. I just knew we had the right people in the right positions,” Kelly said.

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“I’ve had a really lucky year [after winning a premiership with the Sydney Roosters], that really tops the cake with that one.

“Origin is that game where everyone has to lift. You could play so much footy beforehand, but it’s always going to be really tough. I actually said during the week we can take a lot of confidence out of NRLW from playing at that high level. That’s what a lot of the girls did. Having two NSW teams in the grand final was a massive confidence boost.

“I love Origin, I love what it’s all about.”

Rival fullbacks Emma Tonegato and Tamika Upton were brilliant in equal measure. Sky Blues five-eighth Kirra Dibb scored a scintillating individual try to put an exclamation mark on her Origin return.

One gets the inkling Dibb will put herself in the frame for an Australian call-up at season’s end for the World Cup, standing out in a star-studded halves complement featuring Queensland playmakers Ali Brigginshaw and Tarryn Aiken.

Isabelle Kelly scored the winning try.

Isabelle Kelly scored the winning try.Credit: Getty Images

But that can wait. For now, the story is the interstate rivalry. Even without Steph Hancock for the entire second half after she failed a head injury assessment, the Maroons stayed in the fight and so nearly stole it at the death.

Ciesiolka looked as though she had found the match-winner before Julia Robinson was deemed offside in the kick chase. That was as close as they would get.

The series expands to two games next year, meaning one win will be enough for the victors to retain the shield.

Players and coaches want the shield decided over a three-game series, and there is little doubt fans share an appetite for more. The 11,321 fans who came through the turnstiles shattered the previous record of 10,515 set at North Sydney three years ago.

It’s the kind of figure that will give the powerbrokers at Rugby League Central some sense of vindication as they rapidly expand the NRLW competition.

“It was a great showcase for women’s rugby league. If we could go to a three-game series, I’m sure people want to watch it. It was a fantastic match. We deserve to have three-game Origin series so we can really put our game forward,” Queensland coach Tahnee Norris said.

Watch the State of Origin series exclusively live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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