South Sydney forward Dave Taylor said passion was behind his one-fingered salute at the State of Origin decider which landed him in the bad books with disappointed Queensland officials.
Taylor, dropped from Wednesday night’s series decider, was sitting in an area of the stands reserved for Queensland players when he was caught delivering “the bird” just before the final siren sounded when the Maroons were all but assured the 21-20 win.
The giant forward obviously had not had time to read an e-mail from disappointed Queensland Rugby League boss Rob Moore before being descended upon by journalists at Sydney Airport on Thursday.
“It was just in the moment. I think I was just cheering and the bird come out,” said Taylor, unaware his gesture had triggered such a storm.
“It wasn’t directed at anyone. I was just hyped up and very thrilled.
“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal … I was just caught up in the moment and very passionate.”
A few hours later however Taylor issued a formal apology through his NRL club South Sydney.
“I apologise for my actions last night. I did not mean to offend anyone,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“Again, I apologise for my actions and any offence it may have caused to my teammates and coaches, the QRL, the Rabbitohs and supporters of rugby league.”
Pictures of Taylor’s gesture were plastered across social networking sites hours after Queensland’s pulsating one-point win to clinch a seventh straight Origin series.
An unimpressed Moore sent Taylor a sternly-worded e-mail on Thursday telling him such behaviour was unacceptable.
“We don’t condone this type of behaviour,” Moore told AAP.
“We’re very disappointed in Dave’s actions.
“As coach Mal Meninga and his staff have worked hard to instill the highest of team values and one of those is having the utmost respect for the opposition.
“This behaviour is out of character for players who have been involved in our Origin program”.
The incident will no doubt take some of the gloss off Queensland’s dramatic win in Petero Civoniceva’s 33rd and final game for the Maroons.
Taylor had a rollercoaster Origin series before his latest controversy.
After playing in game one in Melbourne he reportedly fell out of bed and cut his head open before the second game in Sydney before being dropped for the series decider.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The only real selection debate for Billy Slater has been settled by Kalyn Ponga’s untimely foot injury. Newcastle’s captain was probably unlikely to get…
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Veteran Queensland trio Felise Kaufusi, Dane Gagai and Kurt Capewell have been included in a 34-man Maroons squad that will meet in Brisbane to…
Matt Ballin will replace Cameron Smith on the Queensland coaching staff this State of Origin series. An assistant coach at Brisbane since late 2021,…
Proposed rule changes to Origin eligibility might be that rarest of things: a solution that works for everyone.
