Darling Downs’ Emily Bass looking to seal series with emphatic win

Darling Downs Origin hero Emily Bass is looking to put on a show in front of home fans for the first time this Thursday, with an emphatic win over the Blues. Read about her Game 1 experience and how she’s prepared for Game 2 here.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 01: Emily Bass of the Maroons celebrates with her teammates after scoring a try during game one of the Women's State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland at CommBank Stadium on June 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Off the back of her maiden State of Origin victory, 24-year-old Toowoomba product Emily Bass is ready to put on a show in Townsville and hopefully claim the series with an emphatic victory.

The winger, who scored her first ever Origin try in Game 1, said it was made all the more special being in enemy territory.

“To go down to New South Wales in front of 12,000 booing fans, it was a pretty crazy and special experience,” Bass said.

“I played in Canberra last year when we lost, so to get the win in New South Wales and to score a try on top of that, it was pretty amazing.

“It felt like in the stadium, the fans were so close to us, so we could hear a lot of what they were yelling out.

“I actually thrive off that kind of stuff and it actually drives me and makes me want to play harder, I enjoy it.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 01: Emily Bass of the Maroons celebrates scoring a try during game one of the Women's State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland at CommBank Stadium on June 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Bass has been amazed by the level of support she has received from the community in the last few weeks, particularly the love from Townsville’s faithful.

“It’s crazy to me,” she said talking about the level of support for the women.

“From growing up idolising the likes of Locky (Darren Lockyer), (Sam) Thaiday and JT (Johnathan Thurston) it’s really surreal for me having young girls and boys coming up to me and asking for pictures and autographs.

Despite this, the winger is still not completely sold on the series’ two-game format, but said it is a far better alternative than the one game format of years past.

“The two game system is a bit strange, it’s much better than one game, but we’d all love to eventually have a three-game series in the next couple of years,” Bass said.

“The points rule doesn’t really come into consideration during training and preparation.

“We are solely focused on getting the win and doing whatever we need to, in order to beat the Blues.

“I’m looking forward to it, there is a lot of love and support for us from Townsville already and it’ll be great playing in front of a home crowd that’s cheering for you.”

Game 2 will kick-off at 7.45pm on Thursday 22, June.