State of Origin special: Paul Gallen’s punch on Nate Myles was a game changing moment

Ten years on from Paul Gallen’s infamous whack on Maroons rival Nate Myles, Gal has revealed his regret over the incident which saw rugby league bosses rally against on-field violence.

The State of Origin series will begin in Adelaide next week and you can cut the tension with a knife.

NSW are back in a familiar position – fighting to win back the shield with a chip on their shoulder and a pledge not to be pushed around after last year’s embarrassing Origin III scenes in Brisbane.

Blues players spent the off-season licking their wounds and coach Brad Fittler has turned to a trio of noted enforcers heading into the opener in Adelaide. Tevita Pangai Junior, Junior Paulo and Hudson Young won’t take a backward step.

The rougher it gets, the more they relish it. The anticipation that fireworks in Adelaide are guaranteed is palpable. The irony of the Blues picking a side that is fed-up with being bullied also can’t be lost given Wednesday night marks 10 years since Paul Gallen hit with Nate Myles with a pair of punches that would have a seismic impact on the code.

The Paul Gallen punch of Nate Myles that changed how the NRL was officiated. Picture: Getty Images

Gallen – frustrated after years of pain and torment at the hands of the all-conquering Maroons – traded blows with Myles in what became a seminal moment in rugby league history.

The casualty was the punch as rugby league bosses railed against on-field violence. The sport changed immeasurably that night.

As Queensland and NSW prepare to open this year’s Origin series on the 10th anniversary of the Gallen-Myles spat, this is the story of the punch that changed rugby league forever.

THE WORLD WAS CHANGING

The ARL Commission was formed in early 2012 and wasted no time making their mark. Within a year they had banned the shoulder charge amid increasing concerns over the impact of contact with the head. In the background, they were conducting research which suggested that while rusted-on fans enjoyed the violence, the game wouldn’t grow unless they met community standards and expectations.

Former NRL chief executive Dave Smith: “We were doing a lot of research across different demographics. It was their No. 1 issue really. The hardcore fans were fine. The softer fans, the growth area if you like, they just didn’t like to see it. Our research showed us that was a top three issue. A lot violence on the field and the local clubs – a lot of that came from what they saw in first grade. That type of behaviour was going out of fashion. You were seeing people being king hit on the street. There was a lot of pressure to get our act in order. I won’t say which school but I can remember vividly getting a phone call from a big rugby league school in NSW and the headmaster said to me if the game doesn’t start to show a bit more responsibility then they would reconsider their support.”

SINGING AYE AYE YIPPEE YIPPEE AYE

Origin is built-in hate but as the 2013 series approached, it was peaking. The tension between the two camps reached its zenith after a Test match in Townsville in 2012 when, after the Kangaroos beat New Zealand the Queensland players sung their team song. “Singing aye aye yippee yippee aye … singing aye aye yippee yippee aye … singing aye aye yippee … aye aye yippee … singing aye aye yippee yippee aye.” Temperatures were rising.

NSW forward Ryan Hoffman: “That really rubbed people the wrong way. I just got back from England. Playing that Test was my first time back in the representative fold. There was a lot of New South Welshman who had their noses out of joint. I remember after that Test match we went and had a feed. I said g’day to my parents and wife. I got into the feed a bit late. As I came in, I went to sit down. I think it might have been one of the Morris boys and he said, ‘Hey Hoffy, we are over here’. I didn’t pick it up at the time but it was a NSW table. It had separated into NSW and Queensland tables. Coming into the series, from memory that was mentioned really early. That was the heyday of real hatred for one another. The moment you came into camp, you hated that jersey.”

Queensland forward Corey Parker: “The Australian song at the time, to be fair no-one knew it. It was a tough song to sing. There’s a big banner with the lyrics on it. Everyone lost track so we went into the ‘ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay’, which goes down terrifically for a New South Welshman. You’d never thought a few words like that would piss more people off than that.”

(L-R) Nate Myles and Paul Gallen. Picture Gregg Porteous

BLUE VOW

In the week leading up to Origin I, NSW players sensed something was about to happen. The frustration at their losing streak was growing by the day and Gallen, in particular, had had enough. He was ready to make a stand.

NSW forward Anthony Watmough: “Before we went out, Gal said, ‘If they do anything, get up swinging’. And he did. I was right there, I am not going to fib to you. It all fizzled out pretty quickly if my mind serves me correct. It was spoken about before the game about how big a grub he (Myles) is. I know Nate pretty well, but on the field he was a bit of a grub. He has done something, Gal didn’t like it, and it was on.”

Hoffman: “I remember there was a bit mentioned about what was going on, there was a bit mentioned in camp about some trends that were happening in the game from certain players. Gal made a point quite clear that he wasn’t going to accept it. So it was a powder keg waiting to happen.”

A Queensland supporter shows their support for Paul Gallen before the start of Game II of the 2013 series. Picture: Dan Peled

THE TACKLE

The Blues are leading 14-0 late in the first half when Nate Myles takes a hit up and is tackled by Luke Lewis and Anthony Watmough. Gallen is the third man in, arriving with a swinging arm that catches Myles. As Myles gets to his feet, he gives Gallen a shove and says: “Is that the best you have got?” The two stare at each other for a second before Gallen unloads with a pair of punches.

Gallen: ”It stemmed from the niggle and what we had been watching them do to us in games in the years prior. We’d score a try and there’d be a late knee into our back. So at the start of that camp (Origin I), I stood up in front of the team and said, ‘I’m not going to let this happen again’. So in the game, Nate twisted my knee in a tackle, just before Michael Jennings scored a try. I went to Nate and I said, ‘If you do that again, I’m gonna punch you in the head.’ There was a minute to go before the break and I remember giving Nate a cheap shot in the tackle and then he elbowed me on the ground. I said to him, “Is that the best you got?’ And then he pushed me, so I thought, ‘Righto’. And I hit him. Once the dust had settled my biggest concern was that they didn’t score before halftime. That was the end of it for me, but after the game, it was like World War 3, the carry-on about it was ridiculous. I got suspended for it. How many players have been suspended for having a fight in an Origin game? Well, I did.”

Myles: “It was a domino effect of years and multiple occasions in each game where two people went at each other. It wasn’t about that one occasion. Even what transpired in that tackle prior to the punches being thrown, you don’t see that. You just see the tackles. There was so much shit going on and both ways. It didn’t matter – it was Origin. What I was doing to Paul and what he was doing to me, that was part of the game. Everyone eliminates the eight years of what happened to NSW and they focus about that one point. Then it just looks like someone is hitting someone. We were doing everything to each other. There is not one thing we didn’t do to each other on that field, whether it was verbal or physical.”

Brent Tate rushes into the melee. Picture: NRL Images

THE TEAMMATES

As Myles and Gallen grapple with each other, teammates race in and a melee ensues. Brent Tate and Corey Parker are among the first on the scene as spot fires break out.

Maroons centre Brent Tate: “I recall grabbing Gal (Gallen) straight away because I saw Nate get rocked. From then on, it’s a blur. After the game, I remember being really upset at Gal for doing it. Obviously Nate was a good niggler too, but I just couldn’t handle Gal doing that at the time.’’

NSW back rower Luke Lewis: “It was funny because at some stage during the game Gal said to me, ‘As soon as I get Nate Myles, I am going to flog him’. I remember being in the tackle and not thinking much of it. I was at marker and pushed off to the right and got into the next tackle and I turned back to see Gal throwing a few punches. He didn’t lie. He told me exactly what he was going to do. I should’ve known, because if Gal says something, he doesn’t step away. I knew it was going to happen because it had been talked about.”

Parker: “Without doubt it was a premeditated thing from Gal. I understand why, there are no hard feelings. Gal was trying to inspire his team. He felt Nate Myles was the spearhead of the Maroons forward pack so he went ‘whack’. I grabbed Gal, who hit Nat, and I just went for it. I’d been in a couple of fights in Origin. I can’t fight for shit but I had a red-hot crack. I got Gal with a couple of upper cuts.”

Paul Gallen cuts a lonely figure at training ahead of the third game in 2013 – Gallen missed the game due to injury. Picture: Dean Lewins

THE REACTION

Neither Gallen nor Myles were sin-binned over their brawl but in the days that followed, Gallen was handed a one-game suspension for striking. The overriding reaction in the community was one of horror and the ARL Commission decided they had to act. The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield broke the story that the NRL would adopt a zero-tolerance policy to punching. A punch would bring with it an automatic sin-bin.

Former ARL Commission chair John Grant: “I watched it maybe a dozen times afterwards. I remember it very well. We were making a big decision, right. It was a huge decision made, a gigantic decision when you think about the history of the game. It was a natural thing to do. I think people would say it was one of the best things that was done. It changed the audience and the women’s game has elevated for a whole bunch of other reasons, but that would have contributed as well.”

Myles: “I think it was the moment that the NRL started making rapid decisions. While it is for the sake of the game, the longevity and young kids being participants, I think it was something that took away from the gladiator part of what is our crown jewel. I am a bit old school. I always loved what happened on the field, stayed on the field. That was my vibe as a kid and still is now. It would be good if it stayed that way and you could do that stuff in controlled environments.”

Having watched Paul Gallen punch Nate Myles in the head twice last night, can someone just remind me why they banned the shoulder charge?

— Andrew Voss (@AndrewVossy) June 5, 2013

THE MODERN GAME

Rugby league changed forever that night.

Punching is a rarity in the modern game. The price you pay is too high. While some miss the good old days, the vast majority would suggest the game is better for it.

Smith: “I still remember it vividly. There was a big backlash. There is a certain part of the audience that enjoyed that sort of thing. By and large, I don’t ever watch a game of league to see the punch up. I always watched it because it was a really good game. Every now and then you get a halfback niggling a prop and think, ‘Go on’. But people watch it because it is great to watch. The game wasn’t in any way diluted or diminished because there was tighter rules around punching someone. With head injuries and everything that is going around with concussion, the last thing you need is someone getting thumped in the head in what is already renowned as a significant contact sport. When I think about it, I think we did the right thing. There was lots of resistance but with the benefit of hindsight, it was a good decision to make.”

Watmough: “I think they should make it like ice hockey where if two people are in it, let them go. No second and third man in to hold them, like they used to do to us. It is a tough sport and I can understand why they have done it the way they have because it trickles down into junior league. When you play the physical sport we have with big men playing with aggression, it is hard to control that little beast inside of you that wants to come out and stand up for himself and punch someone in the face. Maybe you get one a year – everyone can have one fight a year.”

Tate: “It changed the game forever. We’re still seeing the effects of that punch and how the game is refereed and administered. Back then, getting 10 in the bin, you nearly had to kill someone. Today you can get 10 in the bin for nothing at all. It changed the way the refs refereed the game. It’s become a lot more sanitised, our game. Whether it’s a good thing, or bad thing, it depends on who you talk to.

Gallen: “I’m not proud of what happened. I had a better career in State of Origin than having a fight with Nate Myles. I would’ve much rather won that series than have a fight. Nate and I treated it the way it should’ve been treated. We left it on the field and we have seen each other many times since. But for the game, it’s probably a good thing you can’t throw punches anymore. There was definitely a spin-off from the decision. There have definitely been guys that have become a lot tougher.”

Myles: “I wish more Paul Gallens were playing.”

ORIGIN I, 2023

The Origin series will begin in Adelaide next week and while the game has changed over the past decade, some things remain the same. There is still no love lost between the players who will wear the Queensland and NSW jerseys. They will still push their bodies to the limit. They will bleed for their state. They will rip into each other like there is no tomorrow. They may even throw the odd punch, although it could come at the cost of victory.

Hoffman: “In society, you can’t go around punching people and we in the game are leaders, we have to set an example. Unfortunately some of the unsavoury stuff that has crept into our game is because no one is worried about copping one on the chin. For me personally, I think it is just a bad a look as the punch.”

Gallen: “Picking guys who can fight doesn’t mean you’re going to win Origin. You can still be aggressive within the rules, no doubt about that. And hopefully that’s what Tevita Pangai and Junior Paulo bring.”