Queensland stun NSW 18-10 in Women's State of Origin opener at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta

Just 24 hours after the men's team outgunned the Blues in Adelaide to have a chance of winning their series at Suncorp Stadium in game two, the Queensland women's side upset the Sky Blues to take an advantage into the second and final game in Townsville.

The Sky Blues were overwhelming favourites to win at Parramatta but the Maroons dominated in the first half, scoring two tries, and then crossed for two more in the space of five minutes shortly after the break to race to an 18-6 lead.

NSW hit back when Novocastrian halfback and 18-year-old debutante Jesse Southwell helped orchestrate a try off a scrum, but while they pushed the Maroons late in the game they couldn't breach the deficit.

The reigning champions, NSW will now have to win by more than eight points in game two on June 22 to be retain their crown.

Shifted to a Thursday night after being played on a Friday in recent years, the match drew a record crowd of 12,972 and those in attendance certainly got their money's worth with an end-to-end contest.

Knights fullback Tamika Upton set up the opening try, wrapping around to the blind side of the ruck and putting winger Julia Robinson over in the right corner after seven minutes.

The Sky Blues took the lead after centre Jessica Sergis ran an inside line to score on the right edge in the 16^th minute. Southwell's conversion made it 6-4.

Queensland had a run of possession towards the end of the first half and NSW ultimately succumbed to the pressure when back-rower Tazmin Gray barged over the try-line a minute before half-time.

The conversion from halfback Zahara Temara gave the Maroons a 10-6 lead which they took into the second half.

The Sky Blues lost skipper Isabelle Kelly a few minutes before the break after she copped a forearm to the throat and was taken to hospital.

Queensland scored their third try in the 40^th minute after centre Shenae Ciesiolka intercepted a Southwell pass, running 70 metres before the Maroons put the ball through the hands to winger Emily Bass who dived in untouched on the left flank.

The Maroons then crossed on the opposite edge five minutes later with Robinson bagging a double after her inside centre got around Knights back-rower Yasmin Clydsdale to create an overlap.

With Queensland leading 18-6 and 20 minutes left to play, the Sky Blues scored from a scrum through winger Jaime Chapman who was on the end of a neat play that included a pinpoint decoy run by Clydsdale that gave Southwell the space to spread the ball out wide.

The five-eighth's missed conversion left Queensland holding an eight-point lead and that's where it stayed.

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