Queensland kept NSW scoreless in a dominant 52-0 win to hoist the Arthur Beetson-Ron Gibbs Outback Shield at Centenary Oval in Miles on the Queensland’s Western Downs.
The match was marred by a serious injury to Queensland centre Tom McCoy early in the second half, when he was hit heavily in a tackle by NSW’s Tristan Lamb.
Lamb was sent off leaving NSW down to 12 men.
Play was held up for 20 minutes as an ambulance was called to the field to take McCoy to the local medical centre for further tests.
Under the rules of the Outback Shield game, there are no time-outs so there was only 13 minutes on the clock when play resumed in the 67th minute.
In that final stanza, Queensland scored two more tries - prop Ereqe Nadruguvolili grabbing his second for the game, and centre Jeke Tupa.
The game was virtually over by half-time with Queensland racing to a 36-0 lead off the back of six converted tries.
Hooker Samuel Munns, halves Matthew York and Oliver Peak joining winger Ezekiel Thompson and Nadruguvolili on the scoresheet.
All up it was nine tries in total for Queensland, who looked stronger in most departments – speed, fitness, communication and handling.
The man who did most of the damage was Thompson, who not only scored a hat-trick but kicked seven conversions giving him an individual points tally of 26.
NSW never stopped trying and in the 78th minute five-eighth Farren Lamb raced 70 metres to pull down Queensland winger Jobe Sivowale to stop the home side from scoring a 10th time.
It is the fifth year of the Beetson-Gibbs Outback Shield – the first since 2011 - with logistics, competition calendars and the COVID pandemic making it difficult recently to stage the game annually.
Clubs from NSW rural towns including Bourke, Goodooga, Cobar, Menindee, Brewarrina, Collarenebri and Wilcanniawere were represented in today’s game.
The NSW team was coached by Indigenous NRL legend Nathan Blacklock, who scored a 121 tries in 142 games for the Sydney Roosters, St George and St George Illawarra.
