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AAP
AAP
Joel Gould

How Brown's fire and ice create Origin field goal magic

Queensland's big moment magician Lauren Brown landed the winning field goal in Newcastle last year. (HANDOUT/NRL PHOTOS)

Firefighter and Queensland field goal specialist Lauren Brown is the queen of the big moment because no-one understands pressure the same way she does.

On the field and off it, the versatile 30-year-old life's work has been all about facing pressure head-on.

Last year's 68th-minute golden point field goal in game two of the State of Origin series was a classic case in point.

With the Maroons trailing 1-0 in the series and scores locked up, she landed a stunner in pouring rain and into a gale to secure an 11-10 win, a feat Brown had performed several times for Gold Coast in the NRLW.

@nrlonnine That's not a field goal, that's a MIRACLE! 🤯🤯🤯 🖥 #StateofOrigin Exclusive & Free on 9Now and Channel 9 #9WWOS #NRL #NRLW #Origin ♬ original sound - NRL on Nine

The Maroons went on to win the series 2-1.

Ahead of Thursday night's Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium, the Maroons magician explained several home truths about pressure.

"I'm a firefighter by day and night. If we are rocking up to a house fully engulfed in fire it can be a life-or-death situation," she told AAP.

"That is what real pressure is, making sure you don't let it overwhelm you.

"You go back to being task focused. It helps shift you back to your principles and process.

"That allows you to harness the adrenaline, nerves and pressure by doing what you have been trained to do in those situations. That has helped me on the footy field as well.

"The training we receive in academy for firefighting is incredible and they always put us in worse cases so you are ready … to do your best possible job."

So does training for do-or-die moments help in front of the posts?

"I guess subconsciously it does translate across, to not worrying about the outcome and going back to process," she said.

"I don't think about that when I am on the field. What I do relate to is that muscle memory so I make sure I do one or two field goal sessions a week.

"It is just like I am down at Burleigh Bears practising with dad. I am not one to think before I kick a field goal, 'is it going to go in'?

"It is more about catch the ball, get a good ball drop, a good follow through with my (leg) swing, keep my head down and hopefully by the time I look up it is sailing through, which lucky enough it did (in Newcastle)."

Celebrating Queensland players.
Lauren Brown's field goal helped Queensland win the series from 1-0 down. (HANDOUT/NRL PHOTOS)

Brown recalled the best part of last year's magic moment was looking at teammates and "seeing how much it meant to them".

"I'm a footy tragic. You watch so many iconic moments over the years where my favourite players - (Darren) Lockyer, (Johnathan) Thurston, (Cooper) Cronk – have iced moments like that," she said.

"When you are a little kid down the park you imagine there's 10 seconds to go and you have to land it to win.

"I look back at the field goal and I am super grateful …  but everyone in the team did something that contributed to the win."

Brown said the Maroons were determined to make amends for last year's game-one loss in Brisbane and "make Queenslanders proud".

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