Norris on Orchids clash with Jillaroos: 'Defence is key for us'

Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons coach Tahnee Norris is impressed with the talent within the PNG Orchids side that will play the Jillaroos on Friday.

Norris, coaching the Orchids alongside Maroons legend and BMD Premiership Coach of the Year Meg Ward, said the team had been working hard with the quick turnaround from facing the Australian Prime Minister's XIII in Port Moresby on October 13.

The Orchids went down 50-0, but Norris said there was plenty of positives to take from that game.

"There's lots of learnings that we've got to try and fit into such a short space of time and the girls have been so responsive," Norris said.

"It was a really quick turnaround... we played an Australia A side on Sunday."

Norris said the side - including Elsie Albert, Belinda Gwasamun, Sera Koroi, Essay Banu, Sareka Mooka, Emily Veivers, Jessikah Reeves - was up in the wee hours of Monday morning to get back to Australia to prepare ahead of their Pacific Championships clash at Suncorp Stadium.

"The girls have been unreal... they're so willing to learn and just so open to getting better, which is fantastic," Norris said.

"It's been a really good week for us. We've tried to give them some time to refresh and be ready to go for Friday night."

Norris, acknowledging coaching the Maroons and the Orchids was "chalk and cheese", said the biggest thing for her was the side competed hard against a Jillaroos side that included Maroons stars Tamika Upton, Julia Robinson, Ali Brigginshaw, Tarryn Aiken, Shannon Mato and Keilee Joseph.

"Defence is key for us," Norris said.

"We want to make sure we get that part right and control what we can control.

"One of our values is 'compete' and that's exactly what they do... we know we're strong through the middle of the field and we want to compete really hard down the middle of the field, but defensively we need to be better so they're our little work-ons because they've got such strike power in that Australian side.

"We need to make sure we nail that side of it and that's something that we have to control."

Norris said she enjoyed coaching the "great bunch of humans" and could not wait to see what they did on Friday.

"It's so different... we've got a couple of NRLW players that play in this side and then we've got girls who have come through the Santos Cup in PNG," Norris said.

"It's trying to get the terminology, the language right and upskill and bring everyone up to the same level in a really short space of time... they've got girls who are training full-time professionally in the NRLW and there's Maroons. 

"Absolutely loving it. It's such a good group to be around. Such a great bunch of humans. Bring on Friday."

The Orchids face the Jillaroos at 5.05pm before the Kangaroos play Tonga at 7.10pm.