When Sky Blues coach Kylie Hilder was interviewed at half-time in the women’s Origin decider, she said her team couldn’t have played any worse in the opening half.

But what ensued in the final 35 minutes was a mountain of errors and poor decisions from a frustrated Sky Blues side, that resulted in a 22-6 victory for the Maroons and a series loss for NSW.

After the game, Hilder said Queensland deserved to win after the performance they put up on Thursday night.

“Queensland were a much better team than us tonight, that’s what I put it down to,” Hilder said. “They [NSW] were trying hard, but we were just making silly mistakes [and] I know this team’s better than what they just presented.”

Not even a 90-metre intercept try from Jaime Chapman in the 58th minute could save NSW, who let the wet weather and scoreboard get the better of them.

With 90 seconds to go, NSW gave a penalty away for being offside on the kick-off. It was a foolish mistake that summed up their 70 minutes of football. By the time referee Belinda Sharpe blew the full-time whistle, NSW had racked up 17 errors and their completion rate was at a measly 61 per cent.

Sky Blues co-captain Isabelle Kelly said their execution was “horrible”.

“Queensland were a much better team, they came out firing and I think that’s what we lacked from the get-go,” Kelly said.

“At the end of the day, the completion was horrible so we couldn’t get into any positions to create any good ball and have any attack, which is what our team is so good at. We’re so fast and strong, and unfortunately, there were just errors after errors in crucial parts of the game.”

It wasn’t as if the Sky Blues didn’t have opportunities, but when they got to Queensland’s line, they couldn’t hold onto the ball. Grace Kemp came up with three errors in front of the try line, but the poor discipline was just as costly.

Kemp gave away a penalty for shoving her hand in a player’s face during a tackle, while Yasmin Clydsdale was done for a late hit on Lauren Brown.

But things were awry from the start for NSW. Emma Tonegato lost the ball in the Sky Blues’ first carry of the night - her first of three errors - which helped set up Evania Pelite’s opening try for Queensland in the first minute of the game.

After the Sky Blues’ game two loss in torrential rain in Newcastle, Hilder said her team preferred a dry track. However, she refused to concede that rain played a part in Thursday night’s result.

“It didn’t at all. We had played in Newcastle, we were ready for any condition,” Hilder said. “We knew that the rain was coming, so I don’t think that was an excuse for us at all.”