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It's all Gal's fault: QRL boss blames Blues skipper for bad blood

18th July, 2016
21

Blame Paul Gallen’s NSW captaincy for State of Origin tensions reaching a new low, Queensland Rugby League boss Peter Betros says.

Betros has backed Maroons veteran Corey Parker’s call that Origin team relations are at their worst in the wake of NSW’s game three post-match presentation snub led by Gallen.

Betros was 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 Wednesday.

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’s leadership.

“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.

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“Their attitude showed in the end when Paul Gallen led the players away while Cameron was still speaking.

“As a leader he (Gallen) sometimes led the wrong way.”

Asked if the Gallen snub would put a fire in Queensland’s belly next year, Betros said: “Of course it will, it was just damn rude.

“There is definite animosity there (between teams).

“You don’t walk away when a team is being presented the shield.

“It showed extreme disrespect to Queensland.

“It didn’t go unnoticed. Hopefully we can avenge that next year.”

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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.”

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 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.

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