New South Wales skipper Paul Gallen admits team-mate Greg Bird and two Maroons got the short end of the stick to be sin-binned in his side's Origin II loss in Brisbane.
Blues forward Trent Merrin accepted a one-week suspension for punching Queensland centre Brent Tate in the head in the second half of the Maroons' series-levelling 26-6 victory on Wednesday night.
 | 26-6 |  |
|---|---|---|
| at Lang Park, June 26 2013 | ||
| Tackles: | Cam Smith (QLD) - 40 | |
| Hit-Ups: | Corey Parker (QLD) - 17 | |
| Offloads: | Corey Parker (QLD) - 3 | |
| Run (m): | Matthew Scott (QLD) - 170 | |
View full stats sheet
Tate shoved lingering tackler Gallen off the prone Johnathan Thurston midway through the second half, prompting Merrin to come out swinging.
The incident sparked an all-in shoving match which resulted in not only Merrin but Tate, Blues lock Greg Bird and Queensland centre Justin Hodges sent for 10 in the bin.
Hodges was the picture of wide-eyed surprise when he was called up after the fray and Bird similarly protested his innocence although the pair appeared to be wrestling away from the main scuffle.
All four were sent to the bin and the NRL later announced Merrin and Hodges had been charged.
Hodges pleaded guilty to contrary conduct for running into the brawl and escaped suspension.
Gallen told Grandstand after the match that only Merrin should have been given his marching orders.
"Four players in the sin bin ... I've got to be honest, I think Trent Merrin was the only one that should have been in the sin-bin," he admitted.
"It's funny how they're going to police this rule in games like this but that's just the way it is."
That left both sides with 11 players in the middle of the second half, but the incident did not change the course of the game as Queensland was already 18-0 in front.
The Maroons then drove the nail into New South Wales's coffin when Greg Inglis reeled in a brilliant mark and touched down to score the home side's fourth try.
Queensland full-back Billy Slater was cited earlier in the match for striking after a heated moment with Mitchell Pearce that left the Blues half-back with a bloodied cheek, but he was later cleared over the incident.
Slater too was confused by the multiple sin-binnings, but was diplomatic in his response when asked whether his team-mates deserved their fates.
"I didn't expect four of them to go but ... that's just the way it goes and we get on with it," he told Grandstand.
The Maroons were a different side on Wednesday night than they were three weeks ago, with Sam Thaiday crossing for the opening try barely before all the seats were full at Lang Park.
Darius Boyd scored his first of the night shortly after and Queensland was suddenly up 14-0 before the 20-minute mark.
Boyd then joined Maroons great Dale Shearer on 12 career Origin tries when he got on the end of a superb Thurston cut-out ball to cross in the left corner to increase his side's advantage.
Brett Morris added some semblance of respectability to the Blues' scoreline when he pounced on a perfectly weighted, perfectly bouncing Robbie Farah chip with 10 minutes to play.
But that was as close as Laurie Daley's side would get as Thurston potted a penalty goal after the siren to slam the door on the visitors ahead of Origin III on July 17.
The news may get even worse for the Blues, with News Limited reporting late on Wednesday night that Gallen had sustained a serious tendon injury in his left foot and is in doubt for the decider.
No comments:
Post a Comment