State of Origin Game 3: All the fallout from NSW’s win over Queensland at Accor Stadium

Brad Fittler has called out former NSW players, accusing them of ‘constant’ criticism and failing to support the Blues’ Origin campaign.

Jake Trbojevic. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty

An angry Brad Fittler has fired a salvo at former Blues players who he claims failed to support NSW this season.

Fittler’s side won game three by 24-10 on Wednesday night but lost the series amid heavy and constant condemnation from the media, social media and ex-NSW players.

It irked Fittler, who told 9 News: “Having ex-players out there criticising and questioning you all the time, you know, support from ex-players should be unequivocal.

“It shouldn’t be tested but it is, constantly.

“The best thing about (Wednesday night) was having ex-players from the last two games turn up (and sit together in the NSW dug-out).

“That says that the jumper comes first.”

Blues coach Brad Fittler has called out former NSW players for criticisng his team. Picture: Getty Images.

Fittler praised Nicho Hynes for attending the game to sit with his former Blues teammates.

Hynes was controversially dropped after playing just 12 minutes in game one.

“It was an incredible gesture considering what the media tried to portray,” Fittler said.

“That was an incredible act of bravery to be able to turn up and feel part of this group.”

FIGURES REVEAL CHANNEL NINE’S ORIGIN RATINGS DISASTER

—Phil Rothfield

The final State of Origin game of the series has been a ratings disaster for broadcaster Channel 9.

Across the country on free-to-air and on streaming service 9Now, only 2.53 million watched the Blues fight back to win the dead rubber at Accor Stadium.

This compares to an audience of 3.42 million for the opening game of the series in Adelaide.

Nine’s coverage was affected by a player media boycott before and after the game.

Even allowing for the fact there was nothing hanging on the result, that’s no excuse for the loss of almost 900,000 viewers since the first game of the series.

POLICE INTERVENE AFTER PITCH INVADER SCARE

- Brent Read and Michael Carayannis

Two men have been handed infringement notices and a youth has been given a caution after Wednesday night’s final State of Origin game was blighted by a series of pitch invasions.

NSW Police confirmed on Thursday morning that action had been taken against the offenders, including one man who got perilously close to Blues forward Jake Trbojevic in the dying minutes of the series finale at Accor Stadium.

This masthead understands that the NRL will liaise with stadium officials and security over the incidents.

Images obtained by this masthead show how close one of the offenders got to Trbojevic, appearing to scream in his face as the Blues closed out their face-saving win on home soil.

Jake Trbojevic comes face-to-face with a pitch invader. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty

A pitch invader confronts Jake Trbojevic. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty

It is understood the two adult offenders have been handed banning notices under the Olympic Park Authority Act, meaning they can’t go into any Olympic Park venues for the next 12 months.

Last month, a pitch invader pleaded guilty to two charges, including common assault, after running onto WIN Stadium to hug Dragons centre Zac Lomax.

The offender escaped a conviction and a $5500 fine but was banned from stadiums for the next two years.

It is understood stadium officials were comfortable with how security was handled given only one offender managed to get near the players.

BRADMAN’S SIMPLY THE BEST

Bradman Best’s mother has fought back tears after revealing her son’s emotional words after State of Origin III: “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Best’s mum, Tobi, and dad, Roger, were in the Blues dressing room to celebrate their son’s sensational two-try debut in NSW’s 24-10 win on Wednesday night.

Rather than lair up like some, Best remained humble and wanted to quietly thank his parents for the sacrifices they made to ensure he could reach the Origin pinnacle.

While Best was unable to talk with reporters due to the RLPA’s media blackout, Tobi and Roger were delighted to reveal their joy and pride.

Best’s father, Roger, actually represented Queensland under 19s before spending five years at Manly as a prop and second-rower and then a further two seasons with London Broncos, where he played 12 first grade games.

Roger couldn’t crack a first grade spot given he was behind Steve Menzies, Nik Kosef, Owen Cunningham, Daniel Gartner and Ian Roberts.

Bradman’s grandfather, Peter Byrne, who played four first grade games for Manly over two stints between 1972 and 1976, also celebrated with his grandson inside the NSW dressing room.

Tobi became emotional when talking about what was said in the NSW dressing room post-game.

TOBI: “He was just so grateful for the opportunity to be there.

“When we told him how proud we were, and that he made his dreams come true, he said he couldn’t have done it without us, without his family.

“I’m welling up now talking about it. I’m all emotional again. It was overwhelming. He tells us all the time how grateful he is for everything we have done for him.

“You just do that as parents. You don’t need thanks but it’s beautiful to hear it. It was a beautiful night.

“We’re just so proud and happy for him. For him to be able to stand up and deliver on such a big stage and back himself, it was an honour to be there.

“You couldn’t have scripted a better debut for him. It was such a great night for the family and everyone that supported him along the way.

“He had a few knockers early in the week but he knew he had the support of the coaching staff and his family and believed in himself and that’s all that mattered. Bradman did all he could to hold his spot so who knows what the future holds.

“Bradman got his first sky blue representative honour when he was nine years old for athletics. That was the beginning of the dream to do it on the big stage one day. And that happened on Wednesday – here we are.”

ROGER: “Very good, we’re very happy for him. He took the opportunity and owned it.

“I’m very proud because of all the hard work he has put in. Everyone forgets about the bad injuries he’s had.

“He has had a lot of wraps on him, to be this good. It wasn’t just scoring those tries. He also helped set a few up too. He does a lot of work off the ball.

“Bradman is a humble boy. I was surprised he came out and said he hated Queensland last week. Normally he does his talking on the field and he backed that up on Wednesday night.

“He came up into the crowd after the game and gave us a big hug. We couldn’t have been more proud.”

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Originally published as State of Origin Game 3: All the fallout from NSW’s win over Queensland at Accor Stadium