State of Origin brawl involving 300 people in Cairns CBD

About 300 State of Origin fans erupted into a massive blue in Cairns CBD after Queensland celebrated a stunning victory against NSW.

State of Origin celebrations turned sour as 300 people clashed and multiple police units were called in. Picture: Google.

About 300 State of Origin fans erupted into a massive blue in the Cairns CBD after Queensland celebrated a stunning victory against NSW.

Police broke up the brawl at the corner of Lake and Shields streets at 3.15am on Thursday morning.

Multiple crews, including the Tactical Crime Squad, were deployed to manage the disturbance.

A Queensland Police spokesman said the crowd appeared to be celebrating Queensland’s State of Origin win.

“Multiple police crews were deployed to successfully defuse the disturbance, and a man was taken into custody,” he said.

Queensland’s thrilling series-clinching win over NSW in State of Origin game three had wrapped up just hours earlier, with the Maroons securing a 24-12 win.

Police responded to the scene in Cairns City by deploying multiple crews, including the Tactical Crime Squad, to manage the disturbance. Picture: Brendan Radke

But in Cairns, the celebrations turned sour when a 21-year-old Mooroobool man allegedly became disruptive and was arrested.

He was charged with one count of public nuisance and two counts of obstructing a police officer in a public place while adversely affected.

Surrounding businesses like PJ O’Brien’s Irish Pub on Lake Street, one of the closest venues to the disturbance, had closed at midnight as usual.

A staff member said the pub “wasn’t anywhere near as busy as 300 people” and most of those who had watched the game there had left when it finished before 10pm.

“Karaoke started up and most of those people moved on,” she said.

Other nearby businesses, including cafes and tourist centres, said they’d been closed well before the game even started and only heard about the incident.

Queensland Police successfully dispersed the crowd without serious incident.

The 21-year-old is due to appear before Cairns Magistrates Court on July 25.

Originally published as State of Origin brawl involving 300 people in Cairns CBD