Indigenous and Maori All Stars women’s 2022: Tamika Upton shines as Indigenous team win 18-8
Tamika Upton showed her star power with a huge play which helped flick the switch for the Indigenous women’s All Stars before one of her teammates stepped up to steal the show.
NRLW
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Two pieces of brilliance from Tamika Upton was enough to lead the Indigenous side to a 18-8 win against the Maori team in the women’s All Stars match.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Indigenous team raced in three tries to two. A strong crowd of 10,066 were on hand to watch the first major women’s match since the women’s Origin clash last June after the postponement of the NRLW season.
Indigenous coach Ben Jeffries praised his team.
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“The girls have bonded and created some unity,” Jeffries said.
“They did it for themselves, their mob and their families. I’m proud of them as a coach.
“The defence is getting better and better in the women’s game”
The Maori side won last year’s clash 24-0. The Indigenous side led 6-4 at half-time.
UPTON’S CLASS
Upton showed every bit of her star power with a huge play in the opening half.
The Broncos player stopped the best chance of scoring the opening points through desperation for the Indigenous team. She raced across the field to clean up a kick in her in-goal and just got to the ball before a flying Jocephy Daniels could get to it to hit the ball dead.
The play proved pivotal despite conceding a line-drop out. With the next set, Indigenous winger Jaime Chapman intercepted a loose pass to race 90 metres to post the first points of the match in the 24th minute. Upton again shone early in the second half with a stellar cut-out pass to send Chapman flying across the line for a double. The Indigenous side led 12-4 after 32 minutes.
Jeffries described Upton as the “best player in the world”.
Chapman went close to scoring a treble twice only to be bundled into touch on one occasions and falling short on another after she stumbled having pounced on a cross-field kick.
Chapman claimed player-of-the-match honours.
“She’s had some adversity thrown at her all week,” Jeffries said.
“She was wrapped up in cotton wool and had a fitness test Friday morning. To prepare herself mentally was a really special moment. That could be the telling point of her career.”
MAORI’S OWN DOUBLE
Having watched Chapman score twice, Maori winger Autumn-Rain Stephens wanted in on the action. Some nice footwork from Botille Vette-Welsh laid on the first try for the Maori side on the stroke of half-time with Stephens crossing to have the Maori side trailing by two at the break. Vette-Welsh scored her team’s final try in the third quarter. They trailed 12-8.
Maori coach Keith Hanley was left disappointed.
“Probably fair to say not quite what we were looking for, but I’d have to say the girls weren’t lacking in having a good dig and ripping in,” Hanley said.
“It was a good degree of physicality and credit to the Indigenous (team).”
BARNSTORMING EFFORT
The match was put beyond doubt for the Indigenous side when Tommaya Kelly-Sines produced a solo effort to crash over. The prop carried five Maori players over the try-line in the final quarter to give the Indigenous side an unassailable 18-8 lead.
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