Tensions rose at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday evening when a brawl broke out during State of Origin.
Queensland and NSW battled it out for the series in Brisbane and in the evenly matched first 30 minutes the match exploded when Daly Cherry-Evans and Jarome Luai locked horns.
Luai and Cherry-Evans shoved each other in the face, prompting teammates from both teams to join in. The commotion spread to the bench, with players on the bench also getting involved.
Referee Ashley Klein ignored the incident and sent Jeremiah Nanai to the penalty box for his part in the brawl.
Cameron Murray, who wasn’t even playing when the incident occurred, was ejected from the competition, meaning Mitch Barnett had to sacrifice himself for ten minutes.
But Nine’s commentary team were not satisfied with the referee’s response, with Andrew Johns describing the sin bins as “the biggest overreaction in Origin history”.
Cherry-Evans was furious and gave Murray a red card, but football fans saw the incident differently, claiming the Maroons legend got off lightly.
“DCE came off incredibly well,” said one fan. “He’s the one who caused everything. This is a joke.”
More to follow.