Best Twitter reactions from Queensland’s Origin II win

June 22, 2017 1:02 pm.by Michael Maguire

2017 State of Origin rugby league
TOP-NOTCH banter is an essential ingredient to any State of Origin fixture.

There was no shortage of it on social media in the build-up to Wednesday’s clash at ANZ Stadium.

New South Wales fans were oozing confidence after a big win in game one.

Hey QLD, remember 132 500 is the number to call if you need help with the flood of tears that will flow when the Blues win tonight. #Origin pic.twitter.com/BifrwylBDy

— NSW SES (@NSWSES) 21 June 2017

Bad luck for those dialling 000, because the state’s emergency services were clearly otherwise engaged.

Roses are red,
Winners wear blue,
Queensland will lose the series,
After game two. #UpTheBlues #Origin

— NSW Police (@nswpolice) 21 June 2017

To be fair to NSW, things were not much different north of the Tweed River.

We may have to wear blue but it’s what’s on the inside that counts #Origin #QLDER pic.twitter.com/ZoqUapwMgm

— Queensland Police (@QPSmedia) 21 June 2017

Queensland’s print media were in on the act as well, delivering this chuckle-worthy blow to their southern rivals:

#Origin liftout in the major daily north of the Tweed. Just when you thought they don’t give a duck about the Blues … pic.twitter.com/um7r6orBEQ

— Quentin Hull (@QuentinHull) 21 June 2017

Meanwhile, the federal government went about its business as though the population was not already preoccupied with one of the world’s great sporting events – or did it know exactly what it was doing?

#Robodebt Senate report being released during #Origin … does Govt not want people to read it? #notmydebt

— Nadine Flood (@NadineFloodCPSU) 21 June 2017

As expected, it was a packed house at ANZ Stadium as Blues fans turned out en masse in anticipation of a series-clinching win.

#Origin II is officially SOLD OUT! #NRL pic.twitter.com/cUkKJXxFQ2

— NRL (@NRL) 21 June 2017

Things looked very good for Laurie Daley’s men after tries from Jarryd Hayne, Brett Morris and Mitchell Pearce gave them a 16-6 lead at the break, yet some in the stands were not quite as into the footy as others.

..can we take a moment to focus on the fact that KFC prices vary in Newcastle of all places!! #Origin pic.twitter.com/KG1mmYDjjf

— tallhayden (@tallhayden) 21 June 2017

With the series all but wrapped up by half-time, NSW Police gleefully accepted the opportunity to throw some more shade at their northern colleagues.

If you’re cracking a cold one for #Origin, have a plan to get home. Drink-driving is the only thing worse than the Qld defence #UpTheBlues

— NSW Police (@nswpolice) 21 June 2017

One wonders where they found the time, as all reports suggest the cops had their hands full at Sydney Olympic Park.

3 arrests,30 evictions,Police assaulted at #Origin2 – would be first headlines on all media if @ALeague

— Nick Arkoudis (@NickArkoudis) 21 June 2017

And then things all went wrong for the Blues as Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater, their tormentors for so many years, inspired Queensland to a stunning comeback victory.

The man.

The legend!#Origin #NRL pic.twitter.com/zQgRGM62tB

— NRL (@NRL) 21 June 2017

It was almost as though it went to script for coach Kevin Walters and his Maroons, with Thurston drilling home the winning conversion from the chalk after Dane Gagai’s late wonder-try.

‘And then, in the last 5, we’ll score a miracle try….’#Origin pic.twitter.com/AcvTX7gPSm

— Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) 21 June 2017

Online bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au could not help but have a few digs at NSW’s Hayne, whose second-half lapses epitomised a sloppy and undisciplined performance from the Blues.

Whoops, almost had it!#Origin pic.twitter.com/dUh5hK5rNW

— Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) 21 June 2017

Ultimately, it was Queensland Police who had the last laugh in one of the night’s most entertaining sideshows.

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Tag a blue who got cocky after game one.

We’ll start: @nswpolice #Origin

— Queensland Police (@QPSmedia) 21 June 2017

Yet it was Ned Zelic, the former Socceroo turned national cult hero, who summed it up best of all with these words of footballing wisdom:

#Origin is great – but the big question is how many of these players could do it on a cold, wet, windy night in Stoke?

— Ned Zelic (@NedZelic) 21 June 2017