Queensland claim fourth straight Wheelchair State Challenge

With a former teammate's family in their hearts and with their eyes on making history, the Queensland wheelchair team have continued their State Challenge dominance, claiming a fourth straight title on Saturday.

The Queensland side - coached by England international Jack Brown - put on a second half masterclass to secure a 42-36 victory on home turf at Brendale's South Pine Sports Complex.

New South Wales came bolting out of the gates in the opening stages of the annual clash, going into the halftime break up 26-14.

But, led strongly by the likes of veterans Zac Schumacher, Bayley McKenna and Pete Arbuckle, as well as co-captain Dan Anstey, the Queenslanders went to another level in the second stanza, with Schumacher bagging a hat-trick in the closest State Challenge in recent years.

Not only were Queensland chasing a piece of wheelchair history with their fourth straight title, but they were also playing for former teammate Adam Tannock, who tragically lost his first child Issac earlier this year.

Schumacher was named player of the match for his game-winning efforts and he went into the game with "IJT" scrawled on his wrist tape for Issac Joseph Tannock.

"I’m emotional, exhausted," Schumacher said after the match.

"It was a really hard, tough game.

"It’s the most emotional game I've played in, playing for Adam’s young one that was sadly lost. He was a big part of this team."

With three debutants in the eight-man team - and another debutant part of the reserves - Schumacher was impressed with the new-look team and how they responded in the face of adversity.

The vocal Queenslander led the way but said he felt he might have overwhelmed the young guns in the first half and looked to calm things down in the second 40.

"We knew the Blues were going to come out firing so to be able to stick to what we’d worked on all year... to keep our heads under pressure and execute what we wanted, it was just surreal," he said.

"Our principles we’ve worked on all year - ownership, respect, trust – we’re all confident in what this team can do and what we could achieve.

"Having a mix of experienced players and great young talent coming through, it shows the growth of the sport in Queensland that we’re immensely proud of and it’s onwards and upwards from here."

Having represented Australia at the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, Schumacher said the victory on Saturday was up there as one of his greatest career highlights.

"It probably rivals playing England in the first game of the World Cup," he said.

"The atmosphere, the physicality, the contest. We had to keep reminding ourselves to breathe because it was fast and it was fun."

Coach Jack Brown echoed Schumacher's sentiments.

A World Cup champion for England, Brown said he had a feeling before the game that this match was going to be a big one.

"I said to the guys before the game that I was getting the same kind of tingles I was getting for the World Cup final," Brown said.

"We have that same feeling, same passion at the moment. It’s been a special feeling.

"We have quite a new team at the moment and we’ve gone in a very different direction to the past.

"I’m extremely happy that we got the win. If we didn’t get the win, I’d still be extremely proud of what the guys have built here.

"This squad are the ones that are going to lead the future for Queenslanders and future people playing the game."

Brown labelled the six-point win the biggest challenge he's faced since coaching Queensland but was also boosted by having extra resources for the first time this year, including a statistician and a wellbeing officer.

He said having the statistics helped him deliver the right messages at halftime and he encouraged his side to keep doing what they were doing but to change their mindset slightly.

And that's when he saw the never-say-die Queensland spirit shine through.

"That was probably our toughest test since I’ve been coaching with Queensland," he said.

"Blues played a fantastic game and I’m just glad the Queenslanders had enough spirit in our reserves for the second half because it made for a really good game.

"It was an 11-man performance out there, even though five play at a time."