“It was pretty average [my performance]. I done what my job was I guess, and I think I’ll need to have a bit of a look at what I need to fix, and I’ll go back and fix that,” Johnston said.
“We obviously went up there [Brisbane] with a mindset to go up there and beat them on their home turf, so I guess for them, it would have been the same mentality. We knew they were going to come and give a good fight to the end, and I think we just really need to reflect on what our things where we went wrong, and fix those and better ourselves next game.”
Johnston and the Sky Blues have three weeks to turn it around before the June 27 decider in Townsville.
Coach Kylie Hilder said she would review her team, but was fairly confident she would name the same 1-17 for game three, despite Jaime Chapman and Jess Sergis struggling to finish the game.
Both players picked up leg injuries in the second half, but the NSW flyer declared she would do whatever it takes to be on the field in three weeks time.
“It’s Origin – it’s a different game, it’s the biggest game of the year I think, and I’ll power through anything I have to, I don’t care what’s going on with my body or outside, I don’t care. I’ll play,” Chapman said.
“I was just cramping up to be honest, I cramped in the calf, hammy and quad in the same leg and I had no idea what to do, and then [I] was also cramping in the left calf as well ... probably just the cold weather. I tried the pickle juice, but it didn’t really work.”
Maroons coach Tahnee Norris was similarly confident in her game-winning team. Shannon Mato escaped with a fine for a hair pull on Yasmin Clydsdale and is free to play game two.