Jaime Chapman has confirmed her status as a rugby league player of immense promise as her try double fired the Indigenous All Stars to an 18-8 victory over the Maori Ferns.
After being blown out 24-0 in last year's All Stars fixture, the Indigenous women struck first in the second quarter and were never headed at Parramatta's CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
Player-of-the-match Chapman, the 19-year-old St George Illawarra winger, showed blinding pace to open the scoring with a 90-metre runaway try after an error from Maori captain Corban Baxter.
Having made her NRLW debut in 2020, Chapman appears set for a leading role with the Dragons this year.
She clinched her second try in the third quarter courtesy of a terrific Tamika Upton cut-out pass.
Upton, who enjoyed a strong All Stars debut after a pre-booked holiday and injury kept her from playing for the past two years, traded moments of brilliance with rival fullback Botille Vette-Welsh.
Vette-Welsh showed why she is regarded among the best players in the women's game with two sensational try assists.
When the marquee Parramatta recruit put Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly over for her brace in the third quarter, the Maori Ferns were within striking distance at 12-8.
But brute power from front-rower Tommaya Kelly-Sines for a try not long after the restart gave the Indigenous team a commanding lead, extended by five-eighth Kirra Dibb (three goals from three attempts).
Chapman nearly nabbed a hat-trick in awesome style after snaffling a Dibb chip at pace, but Baxter pulled off a crucial tackle to bring down the flyer.
A crowd of 10,066 watched as the Indigenous side squared the head-to-head All Stars ledger at two wins apiece, having begun their rivalry with the Maori Ferns in 2019.
Players from the Indigenous Womens All Stars celebrate victory at full time following the match against the Maori Women's All-Stars. Source: AAP
