Indigenous v Maori All Stars women’s game; Indigenous win 26-4 in tough conditions

Gold Coast Titans centre Jaime Chapman starred despite limited ball in tough conditions as the Indigenous All Stars thumped the Maori All Stars in Townsville.

Jaime Chapman was key to the Indigenous All Stars’ win. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The Indigenous All Stars claimed the first victory of the day in the women’s game, dismantling the Maori All Stars 26-4 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.

Persistent rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the players but it did affect ball-handling throughout the match as both teams struggled to build consistent pressure.

The Indigenous side still found a way to shine through the dreary conditions with Kirra Dibb steering the team around the park and try-scoring doubles to Jaime Chapman and Kimberley Hunt.

Dibb kicked an excellent 40/30 early in the contest to put her side in great field position and they scored the following set when Tamika Upton took the ball to the line and put in a late grubber for Shaylee Bent.

Taliah Fuimaono had a strong game. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Chapman doubled the Indigenous lead not long after quarter-time when she exploited the tired defence, streaking into the backfield and around the fullback to score and the game was one-way traffic from that point on.

The Maori women dominated field position for most of the second half but couldn’t break the brick wall goal line defence. Jasmin Strange finally got the Maori side on the board in the final quarter but it was too little too late for the Kiwi side.

GRACEFUL DEBUT

Canberra Raiders forward Grace Kemp made an immediate impact when she came onto the field for her All Stars debut just before quarter time, creating the momentum the Indigenous All Stars used to open the scoring.

Kemp added much needed go-forward to the pack and didn’t shy away from the tough yards, putting her hand up for a carry every set she could.

Almost half of the 22-year-old prop’s metres came post-contact (40 of 92) and Kemp broke five tackles in her 32 minutes on the field.

Maori All Star Kennedy Cherrington is tackled. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

JOLLY GOOD CHAPMAN

Chapman put her speed on display with two long distance tries, eating up the metres to finish with a game-high 214 metres.

The Gold Coast Titans centre had limited touches but made the most of the opportunities she had and once she broke the line no one was able to race her down.

Chapman also led the game in tackle breaks (7) and linebreaks (2).

Originally published as Indigenous v Maori All Stars women’s game; Indigenous win 26-4 in tough conditions