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Qld Origin penalty try raises eyebrows

A penalty try awarded to Queensland in their 38-6 State of Origin II loss to NSW has raised eyebrows, with even former Maroons skipper Paul Vautin sceptical.

Queensland centre Will Chambers' (R)
Queensland centre Will Chambers' (R) controversial penalty try has raised eyebrows. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Even former Queensland captain Paul Vautin was sceptical of a controversial penalty try awarded to the Maroons in State of Origin II in Perth.

Queensland needed all the points they could get after being overrun by the Blues at Optus Stadium, eventually succumbing 38-6 on Sunday.

Yet eyebrows were raised when centre Will Chambers was awarded a penalty try in the 18th minute.

Chambers was pushed by rival Jack Wighton as the veteran attempted to pursue a Ben Hunt grubber in what appeared to be a carbon copy of a denied penalty try in game one.

In the series opener Latrell Mitchell was sin binned and a penalty try not awarded when the NSW centre tackled Matt Gillett without the ball as the Queensland backrower chased a Daly Cherry-Evans kick.

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Yet in game two, referee Gerard Sutton sent the decision to the bunker as a try.

"There was definite interference but I am not so sure about that (awarding penalty try)," TV commentator Vautin said of the Chambers incident.

"I don't know if it should be (a penalty try). Don't the rules say you have to be 100 per cent sure, that it's a guarantee (of a try)?"

However, Chambers was awarded the four pointer - much to the surprise of most punters.

Former NSW playmaker Jamie Soward was more forthcoming than Vautin.

"It's not a penalty try. What a joke," he tweeted.

It was the only points Queensland earned in the game two thumping, sending the series to a decider in Sydney next month.

Before the penalty try was awarded, Wighton looked set to be part of an unwanted part of Origin history.

He was at risk of being the fourth NSW player sinbinned in as many Origin games.

NSW had already made history after Mitchell was binned in game one.

It marked the first time in Origin history a team had a player marched in three straight games after James Maloney (Origin III, 2018) and James Roberts (game two, 2018) were also binned.


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