With a half-century against Western Australia at the WACA, captain Marnus Labuschagne spearheaded Queensland's comeback after Test player Matt Renshaw perished cheaply. When Labuschagne fell LBW to offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli late on day two, he was in perfect form, hitting 77 off 96 balls and appearing to have complete control. Despite the significant setback in Queensland's rally, No. 4 Jack Clayton persevered and finished undefeated at 52.
Accurate new-ball bowling from quicks Matt Kelly and Cameron Gannon challenged openers Renshaw and Usman Khawaja after they had labored in the field for 124.2 overs. Given the uncertainty surrounding Cameron Green's back injury, Renshaw, who may be eligible for a Test recall, had a great opportunity as the pitch flattened significantly in the sunny weather.
Renshaw began the first over with a beautiful drive down the ground from Kelly, but Gannon worked him over and he edged to third slip. Out of 24 balls, he only made 6.
Labuschagne was cautious in the beginning, but he quickly counterattacked Rocchiccioli down the field while his father watched from the terraces. He worked nicely with Khawaja, who also took advantage of Rocchiccioli's oddly sloppy effort.
With all-rounder Mitchell Marsh playing as a specialist batter and WA's shorthanded attack lacking speedsters Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson, Gannon was the team's star. Gannon was unrelenting and dismissed Khawaja, who on 31 put a short ball onto his stumps after he had been the star of WA's Shield victory over Tasmania the previous season.
Brody Couch, a Victoria-born WA rookie with Major League Cricket experience, made an impression and bowled a brisk opening spell before tea. He bowled the rare explosive short-pitched delivery and was the fastest of WA's three quicks, hitting speeds of 140 kph. Despite being exhausted at the end of the day, Couch managed to land a stinging blow to Labuschagne's stomach, leaving him on his haunches.
Queensland still has a lot of work to do to catch up to Western Australia's enormous 465 first-innings total. When all-rounders Cooper Connolly and Gannon batted for nearly the whole opening session on day two, WA's recuperation continued. A useful middle-order batsman for his local club team, Gannon, was able to match Connolly's half-century off 64 balls. For Queensland, Labuschagne returned to playing on quirky fields, but it was in vain as Gannon scored his second half-century in first cricket.
Connolly has been targeted for a busy summer and might be a possibility for the Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year after making his debut for his country during Australia's tour of the UK.
Connolly's outstanding strokes to reach lunch on 79 not out justified his selection ahead of veteran Ashton Turner. In the first over following the interval, Connolly holed out to Renshaw, ending his hopes of reaching a first-class century after making 90 in his debut in the Shield final the previous season.
Fringe Test fast Michael Neser bowled just three overs on day two after putting up an impressive display on day one. He concluded WA's innings with a spectacular acrobatic catch on the boundary and finished with 5 for 68 from 25 overs. Labuschagne and Renshaw, both part-timers, took two wickets each before their batting fortunes diverged.