Were Queensland ‘robbed’ by controversial Brian To’o tackle in Origin I?

There’s always drama in State of Origin — and Game I on Wednesday night was no exception.

A cross-field kick from Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans on the stroke of halftime has sparked a fresh wave of debate. When is a penalty try awarded? When is it a sin-bin? And can it be both? (Spoiler: it can’t.)

Referee Ashley Klein and bunker official Chris Butler used their discretion to settle the matter.

But were they right?

Let’s dive a little deeper and then look at the black letter of the law.

The pinpoint kick in question set up a one-on-one aerial contest between 6’4″ Queensland winger Xavier Coates and 5’11” Blues winger Brian To’o.

Coates had both the height and the momentum as they leapt for the ball over the NSW in-goal area.

Klein was quick to rule no try and sent it upstairs to the bunker for further review, just as the halftime siren sounded.

“I have no try,” Klein said. “We’re looking at a mid-air tackle by Brian. Have a look at his intent — because if it’s deliberate, it’s a potential sin bin here, if there’s no intent to contest.”

The key question: did To’o take Coates out in mid-air, or was he genuinely competing for the ball? Coates got both hands to it, high above To’o’s reach. Was it interference, or just desperate defense?

NRL great Cameron Smith was quick to suggest a penalty try during Channel Nine’s coverage.

“Could this be a penalty try? “He’s tackled him in the air.”

Smith believed that since Coates had the ball in his hands and was tacked mid-air, then there is only one answer.

The bunker found that To’o had hold of Coates mid-air. Butler ruled the contact came “prior to the contest,” denying Coates a “fair chance” to score.

“We have a decision,” Butler said. “In our opinion, it’s a professional foul.”

To’o was sent to the bin. NSW were to start the second half with 12 men. And fans and commentators erupted.

Darren Lockyer said on Nine: “A professional foul is something you do deliberately. I think that was a reaction — an instinctive one.”

Gus Gould added: “I think it’s a ridiculous exaggeration of the mid-air tackle rule. They’re in the in-goal, they’re fighting for the ball and possession. That’s not a sin-bin in an Origin match.”

Online, opinion was split. One punter wrote on Instagram: “Where’s he [To’o] supposed to go?” Another replied: “[To’o] Pulls the best aerial player away from the ball. Penalty try all day.”

But here’s the thing — we see this every week in the NRL. If a player jumps to contest the ball and then realises they’ve lost, and makes contact to interfere with the other jumper — it’s a penalty all day, every day.

Looking at Queensland squad, it’s clear Queensland had a premeditated plan to isolate aerial specialist Coates over the much shorter To’o. Brian knew he couldn’t win that contest. His attempt to compete quickly turned to a defensive reaction. Whether conscious or not, he grabbed at Coates and pulled him off balance — denying a fair shot at scoring.

In the replay Coates was seen with both hands on the ball mid-air even after being grabbed by To’o. But the Queensland winger was forced to make a split-second decision to protect himself as his balance shifted. He let the ball go — either involuntarily or in response to the contact.

According to the NRL rulebook, a penalty try can be awarded if, in the opinion of the referee, a try would have been scored but for the defending team’s unfair play.

On the balance of probabilities, Coates likely scores if uncontested. He wins the jump, gets both hands to the ball, and is over the in-goal. But Klein didn’t believe Coates had it secured — so instead, he punished the Blues via the referees favorite toy of 2025, the sin bin.

Rather than awarding the try, the officials applied a discretionary foul play clause: if, in the referee’s opinion, the act of foul play is serious in nature, the player may be sent to the sin bin.

In this case, the officials believed To’o grabbed Coates mid-air, before a fair contest was even possible. Hardly serious – but put Coates is in a potentially vulnerable position.

Klein had already ruled no try. That left the bunker to determine whether To’o’s actions constituted foul play – and with nowhere left to go, it was either sin bin or nothing.

And while no one wants to see a sin bin in the biggest arena of rugby league — in the end, it didn’t change the result. Queensland did capitalise early after the half time break, with Coates scoring thanks to a flick pass from Robert Toia after Jeremiah Nanai forced an error from Mitch Moses.

But the Blues held firm and proved too strong, finishing 18-6 winners at Suncorp Stadium – getting the jump on Queensland at home in the 2025 series.