They had to get special dispensation to allow her to play but teen half Destiny Brill showed why she was worth the effort with a two-try showing in the Reds' 104-3 Super W demolition of the Rebels.
Just 16, the student was given approval to be added to the Queensland bench as scrumhalf understudy for her Marsden State High teacher Cobie-Jane Morgan.
But with the Reds racking up a massive first-half lead and going on with it, Brill was thrust into the action early in the second half and showed why she is so highly regarded.
The youngster crossed twice, her first try a show and go putting her into space before a neat fend brushed off a defender, while she was on the spot to score her second.
But it was her quick service and crisp passing as much as her eyes-up game that impressed, showing the Reds have plenty to look forward to from the youngster over the coming years.
The victory has set up a mouth-watering clash against NSW next week, with the result likely to decide the team that advances to the grand final automatically.
After beating RugbyWA 80-5 in their first match last week, the Reds had been expected to face a tougher challenge against the improved Rebels.
But they put their foot down and scored at more than a point a minute, scoring 16 tries against a team they decimated last season.
The Reds showed their intentions early, dominating play and scoring first when hooker Averyl Mitchell rolled over from the back of a maul in the third minute.
She was in again minutes later, in position to dive over in the corner after taking a flick pass from centre Lavinia Gould, who capitalised on the hard-running of backrowers Okeroa Manihera and Shannon Mato.
The Rebels stemmed the flow briefly when scrumhalf Georgia Cormick converted a penalty in the 18th minute but it only seemed to spur the Reds, who ran in another four tries heading into halftime for a 38-3 lead at the break.
Pacy fullback Courtney Hodder and winger Ivania Wong scored before the half-hour mark before Reds prop Liz Patu was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Rebels winger Mikeala Welti.
The extra player proved no real benefit for the visitors though, with flanker Natassja Purontakanen over in the 35th minute before flyhalf Zahara Temara touched down after the siren, with Patu banging over her fourth conversion of the half.
Little changed in the second term.
Reds prop Christina Sekona charged over a minute after the restart and when lock Leesa Kaleti Mataafa scored the first of her two tries, Cramer's conversion made her the highest point-scorer in Super W history.
From there, it was all the Reds, with the exhausted Rebels just trying to keep up.
Kaleti Mataafa went over for her second, Brill and Temara also notched doubles while Hodder scored a hat-trick and reinforced her reputation as one of the fastest players in Super W.
The Reds take on the Waratahs women at Ballymore next Saturday, March 7, kicking off at 4pm AEDT (3pm local).
RESULT
Reds 104
Tries: Hodder 3, Temara 2, Brill 2, Mitchell 2, Kaleti Mataafa 2, Wong, Purontakanen, Sekona, Senft, Samoa
Cons: Cramer 7, Temara 5
Rebels
Pens: Cormick
