Queensland Rugby League boss Peter Betros believes bad blood between State of Origin’s teams will ease next year because NSW captain Paul Gallen won’t be involved.
Betros on Monday confirmed Maroons veteran Corey Parker’s call that Origin relations were at an all-time low in the wake of NSW’s game three post-match presentation snub led by Gallen.
The Maroons are still seething after Gallen turned his back on Cameron Smith and led NSW away as the Queensland skipper was receiving the Origin trophy at ANZ Stadium last week.
Gallen claimed the post-match snub had been brought about by Queensland’s excessive sledging of the Blues, in particular the NSW skipper in his last Origin.
Betros lay the blame squarely on Gallen and believed Origin tensions may be eased next year under a new Blues captain.
“It wouldn’t be hard for NSW to get a better attitude,” Betros told AAP.
“Paul is determined to win for his state and good on him for that.
“But the tactics they use leave a lot to be desired.
“I just think as a leader he (Gallen) sometimes led the wrong way.”
Parker had earlier revealed Origin ill-feeling between the teams was as bad as ever after game three – his 19th and final match for Queensland.
“There’s a thing called sportsmanship and I think that’s what aggravated most Queenslanders through that game,” Parker told Sky Sports Radio on Monday.
“I do feel there’s that real bad blood … between the two teams.”
Betros and Parker expected the fallout from the match to be used as motivation for the Queenslanders next year.
Parker was within a group of players identified by Gallen as being one of the chief sledging perpetrators following Queensland’s 26-16 Origin II victory over the Blues.
The retiring Blues captain hit out at Parker, Johnathan Thurston and Matt Gillett on Friday night for the manner in which they celebrated in the face of NSW players on fulltime at Suncorp Stadium last month.
“You talk about disrespect, you’ve only got to look back in Game II and the end of that game Johnathan Thurston looks directly at me and says ‘F… your Blues’,” Gallen told Triple M.
