A hat-trick to Adam Tannock underpinned Queensland’s 42-26 win over the NSW Blues to claim the Wheelchair Rugby League State Challenge shield for a third year in a row.
Tannock’s eye-catching speed around the court at the Whitlam Leisure Centre in Sydney – including two long-distance tries – earned him the Player of the Match award.
Alongside his 12 point-haul, teammate Bayley McKenna also had an individual tally of 12 points through a try and four conversions.
“I’ve been with this team three years now and we’ve won all three Origins, so I’m buzzing,” McKenna told ABC Radio.
The Queenslanders led 24-4 at halftime to help set up the win, but NSW never stopped trying in the seven tries-to-five loss – twice coming within 10 points of a well-oiled Queensland machine.
The Blues actually led 4-0 for the opening 12 minutes before the Maroons got well and truly into gear.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the boys,” said NSW coach Edie George.
“We had our backs against the wall for most of the game but when I needed them to dig deep, they did.
“Hopefully they’ve done their state proud.”
NSW was first to score after just six minutes of play, when Brad Grove gratefully accepted a pass back inside from teammate Toby Popple down the left sideline.
But from then it was all Queensland in the opening stanza.
Firstly Tannock was held up twice over the line before the pressure valve burst.
James Hill scored in the 13th minute with Maroons teammate Shaun Harre two minutes later to push the score out to 12-4.
Tannock doubled that with two dashes down field – the first scooping up a loose ball, the second through a missed tackle. It was 24-4 at the break with NSW having to regroup quickly for the second half.
NSW won the possession game early in the second 40 minutes scoring two tries – Grove’s double and Chris O’Brien – to narrow the gap (24-14).
But the fightback was short-lived. Tannock got his hat-trick in the 61st minute and when Bayley McKenna scored Queensland’s sixth try the margin floated out once more (36-14).
A Blues supporter yelled out ‘New South Wales!’ as McKenna lined up to hit the conversion, but he raised the flags anyway, gesturing to the crowd that nothing was going to faze him.
Again the Blues used good ball to score another two tries – through Cory Cannane and Diab Karim – to get back to within 10 points for a second time (36-26).
But Maroons skipper Harre sealed the deal with a dummy and then barging over under the black dot with two minutes left on the clock.
Scores: Queensland 42 (Adam Tannock 3, Shaun Harre 2, James Hill, Bayley McKenna tries; McKenna 4, Hill 3 goals) def NSW 26 (Brad Grove 2, Chris O’Brien, Cory Cannane, Diab Karim tries; Brett Henman 2, Karim goals)
