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Another Origin series gone, and another Queensland victory. Last year it was the Greg Inglis video-referee try. This year it will be the streaker that all NSW fans will be blaming the defeat on.
Without condoning the behaviour of the streaker, can we really blame the defeat on him? Here are three possible scenarios for what may have occurred if the streaker never happened:
With three minutes to go in the 2013 Game 3 Origin decider, Queensland is 12-10 up due to a Thurston penalty goal and a missed Maloney conversion.
Wati Holmwood, a local Sydney man sitting in the audience stands up in his seat. He pulls his clothes off and runs down the aisles in his sports shoes.
Jumping the fence he is only metres away from the action, he can almost reach the players.
But before he can step onto the field of play the naked man is tackled out of nowhere by a security guard. Assistants come to help out, and Holmwood is taken away before he can inflict any damage on the match.
Aside from some cheering for the valiant security, the players don’t know what has just happened, and the match continues without interruption.
Scenario 1
Valiant Maroon’s Captain Cameron Smith sprints towards the try line, but is pulled down by a desperate Josh Dugan.
The referee signals fifth and last. Smith plays the ball to Johnathan Thurston at dummy half. The five-eighth runs horizontally to his right and passes to Corey Parker.
NSW’s Hoffman rushes Parker, but the ball is passed off to Scott before the tackled can be made.
Dodging past Mick Jennings, Matt Scott makes a dash for the try-line. He gets past Maloney and puts the ball down.
With a successful Thurston conversion, the Maroons win their eighth consecutive Origin series with an 18-10 victory.
Scenario 2
Thurston receives the ball from Cameron Smith at dummy half. Fifth and last with two minutes remaining.
Running horizontally in front of the NSW defence, Thurston decides not to kick and passes the ball out to Corey Parker.
Before the Queenslander can react he is pounced upon by Ryan Hoffman. The referee signals the ball to be handed over to NSW for a restart.
The Blues spread the ball out to their right, where McManus receives it on the wing. He finds himself with space ahead and makes a desperate sprint to gain some much needed ground.
But Queensland players rush in, and manage to drag the winger into touch. The Maroons start the celebrations. With a narrow 12-10 victory, Queensland has won the deciding match of the 2013 Origin Series.
Scenario 3
After Parker is tackled by Hoffman on Queensland’s last tackle, the Blues receive possession only a few metres out from their own touchline.
With only minutes remaining, the Blues have the length of the field to travel before any hope of scoring a try.
The ball is spread to the right by NSW, and McManus finds some space on the right-hand wing. Gaining important metres, he is pulled down by Queensland defence, but manages to stay in the field of play.
Several plays later and NSW are only metres away from the Queensland try-line. The ball is spread out to Brett Morris on the left wing. B-Mozz steps in side, and finding space between two Queensland defenders plants the ball over the line.
The roar of the Blues supporters at ANZ is deafening. The players look up at the scoreboard, 14-12 to NSW with seconds remaining. Maloney successfully converts, and NSW win their first State of Origin series since 2005.
Outcome
Both New South Wales and Queensland supporters have reasons to be angry at the streaker.
The Maroons may not have been awarded their try, but they undoubtedly received the advantage from the pitch invasion, receiving the ball from the scrum for another set of six.
He may have prevented NSW from regaining possession, which may have led to a series winning try. It is not the only thing that went wrong for the Blues, and they cannot blame the entire series defeat on the streaker.
But both teams were given a disadvantage of some sort by Holmwood. He may have prevented Queensland from scoring another try, and winning the match by an even more convincing score line.
The streaker may have added to the spectacle of Origin, but the game definitely suffered due to it.
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