Jakiya Whitfeld breaks down the right, leaves La-Toniya Norris-Addo on the turf with a big fend, and finds Yasmin Clydsdale on the inside.

The back rower sets sail for the tryline and looks destined for four points, but Sareka Mooka and Lyiannah Allen come across in cover and somehow hold the ball up.

A stunning tackle and a great moment for PNG, but it’s undercut by the sight of Norris-Addo 60 metres back, writhing around on the ground. Looks like a classic torn ACL mechanism as she tried to get across to tackle Whitfeld.

So they’re already down to 12 women and now they’ve lost a centre.

This could get ugly. Er.

They dropped it off the last kick-off and they’ve done it again here.

Emily Veivers was practicing some nasty spiral jobs before kick-off, and they’re wreaking havoc here.

After running around the Orchids on the left, the Jillaroos are all lined up out to the right this time and Jakiya Whitfeld gets herself a try on the enormous overlap.

That could be the start of a very rough 10 minutes for PNG with 12 women on the field.

Julia Robinson continues her impressive outing with a strong run, earning the penalty. She takes a quick tap and Roswita Kapo just grabs her from a metre away.

Belinda Sharpe has no choice but to send the Orchids number 14 for a 10-minute break.

Hey Mike,

Look, I’m not expecting a close game, but I don’t think it’ll be quite as bad as the 82-0 demo job from the 2022 World Cup semi.

Julia Robinson goes in again in almost identical circumstances as her last one, just putting it through the hands and out-pacing and out-classing the defence.

Five-eighth Sera Koroi was playing the three-in defender for the Orchids and she just doesn’t have the lateral speed to stay with Aiken and Upton. That’s how the overlap is being created so easily every time.

Qunicy Dodd breaks through the middle and earns a repeat set for the Jillaroos, so they can get into their work.

They’re lining up to the left and just put it through the hands with Tamike Upton giving early ball to Isabelle Kelly, who unleashes Julia Robinson to dive over in the corner.

And Tarryn Aiken slots from the sideline! Not bad for the second-choice kicker.

She’s dropped two balls already on short-side raids, and now she’s launched a cut-out ball to absolutely no-one on the right.

Even if Jakiya Whitfeld was Usain Bolt, I’m pretty sure that pass would’ve been called forward anyway.

A penalty conceded by Shannon Mato in the middle of the field puts the Orchids on the attack and this time PNG gets to its kick, with halfback Delailah Ahose grubbering in and almost bamboozling Tamika Upton with the bounce.

She reins it in, but gets swarmed in the in-goal.

But Ahose’s knocked on straight off the goal-line dropout.

There’s nothing on in the middle of the park, but winger Julia Robinson puts a little bit of a jinking run together, stands up prop Essay Banu and lock Gloria Kaupa and bursts into the back-field.

Looming up on the outside is, of course, Tamika Upton, who dives in under the posts.

PNG gets a penalty to put them deep in Aussie territory and look to have them shot to bits out on the left, but Elsie Albert, as is her wont, tucks it under the arm and takes the hit-up.

Prop partner Essay Banu follows up with another hit-up, apparently not realising it was the last.

First points there would’ve made things interesting.

The grubber in behind from Tarryn Aiken is perfectly weighted and pops up for hooker Quincy Dodd, who reels the ball in, but can’t bring it to ground securely.

Almost the perfect start for the first-gamer.

Tarryn Aiken’s bomb is allowed to bounce right on the tryline by fullback Mala Mark, and it evades her and Freda Waula. Jakiya Whitfeld almost gets through to ground it just before the dead-ball line, but Mark eventually toes it dead.

The pressure stays on with a goal-line dropout.

Emily Veivers launches a twisting kick off and Tamika Upton fields it on the bounce, finding former Broncos and Knights teammate Millie Elliott for the first hit-up of the game.

A couple of bloody good renditions too. And there’s nothing left to do now but play some footy.

No, Simaima Taufa is not captaining the Australian women’s side (that’s still Kezie Apps) but the veteran lock is playing her 15th Test.

Jagera man Ashley Ruska delivers the Welcome to Country (which, for those of you confused, is a welcome to his people’s part of the country, not “welcome to Australia”).

G’day Mark,

For those of you wondering when the Jillaroos and PNG Orchids kick off, we’re just 10 minutes out.

The Jillaroos game starts at 6:05pm AEDT, while the Kangaroos and Tonga are set to hit the field at 8:10pm.

Australia’s superstar playmaker and captain, Ali Brigginshaw, is out of this evening’s game as she recovers from a broken finger.

Her absence sees Tiana Penitani move from the centres to five-eighth, alongside Tarryn Aiken, with veteran Jess Sergis stepping into the centres in jersey number 18.

Brigginshaw was player of the match in the 2022 World Cup finals and has been a mainstay for the Jillaroos for the past decade.

Coach Brad Donald tells Fox she could have played after hand surgery at the end of the NRLW season, but they’re going to hold her back for later in the tournament.

Penitani, meanwhile, is an out-and-out outside back, so we’ll see how she goes in the halves but expect Karyn Murphy medallist Aiken to take the reins.

Meanwhile, hooker Quincy Dodd and bench forwards Sarah Togatuki and Olivia Higgins have been named to make their debuts.