Maroons turn to secret weapon in bid to even Origin series

Former Brisbane Heat captain Kirby Short has emerged as the Maroons' secret weapon in their bid to keep the Women's State of Origin series alive. 

Queensland coach Tahnee Norris has turned to a range of sporting stars to inspire her side, with Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus addressing the team prior to Game One. 

Short has joined the squad in a formal basis, acting as a leadership mentor for co-captains Ali Brigginshaw and Tamika Upton. 

While Queensland fell to NSW in Game One, Norris is confident the impact of Short's presence will be clear when the two sides go face to face at Allianz Stadium on Thursday night.

"Kirby captained the Brisbane Heat to a WBBL title," Norris said. "She works with our captains and does a lot of work off the field helping our leaders grow into the people they are now. 

"Ali's been a leader for such a long time now but it's helping [Upton] in her journey to become a leader. [Kirby's] developing their leadership styles, they're two completely different people and two completely different leaders. She's just trying to help them with their strengths to grow further into those roles."

The Maroons are desperate to repeat history on Thursday night after they turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 series victory last year. 

Lauren Brown was the hero in Game Two in 2024, kicking a game-winning field goal in driving rain at a sold-out McDonald Jones Stadium.

Much has changed since then, however, with new Blues coach John Strange ushering in a new era for NSW and laying the foundation for a commanding 32-12 victory in Brisbane earlier this month. 

Norris concedes her side was dominated up front throughout the contest and has responded by adding experienced prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi to the bench for Game Two. 

Having made her name as a hard-nosed player who did not take a backwards step, the Queensland coach has declared the Maroons won't be bullied a second time on Thursday night.

"[The forwards] were disappointed with their performance," Norris said. "We lost some momentum through the second half so it's definitely something they need to improve on and it's something they have been challenged on. 

"Bolstering the pack with [Lenarduzzi] coming in off the bench gives us that impact as well.

"She adds a real punch through the middle of the field. She's a powerful runner of the ball and can do so much with the ball, she's got offloading abilities and she dominates this forward pack. 

"She's a real leader among the group. She's bringing the energy, she did for the last game but now we get to see her on the field which is to make a massive impact through the middle for us."

With the NSW pack dominating up front, halfback Jesse Southwell pulled the strings to steer the Blues to victory at Suncorp Stadium. 

The playmaker's performance has attracted plenty of focus from Queensland in their post-game review as they look for ways to turn the tables on their opponents.

Norris has placed plenty of responsibility on her experienced halves pairing of Tarryn Aiken and Ali Brigginshaw to get the job done in Sydney but conceded her side must do a better job of containing Southwell if they are to keep the series alive. 

"We've got to be better at that," Norris said. "We gave [Southwell] too much time with the ball in hand so it's something we need to hunt. 

"Ali is one of those players that when the chips are down, she'll stand up. She'll put her hand up and own the performance from last week and she knows they didn't play to their potential. They are such a better spine than what we showed last week. 

"We know how to play, we've just got to focus on us now. Ali's a true leader in this sport and she's done it so many times that she can turn around and have a good performance."

Be there for Game Two of the Women's State of Origin at Allianz Stadium on May 15. Get your tickets now.