What is it they say during Origin time again: "Mate against mate, state against state?"
Well, that age-old notion became abundantly clear once again during a heated Game 3 last night when club teammates Latrell Mitchell and Dane Gagai locked horns on multiple occasions.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs duo were at each other's throats for the entire 80 minutes, but tensions really boiled over when New South Wales debutant Api Koroisau crossed the line in the second half to reduce the deficit for the Blues.
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As the last line of Queensland's defence, Gagai made a desperate attempt to bring Koroisau down but he was unsuccessful in stopping him.
Mitchell clearly took exception to the fact that Gagai's arms were still wrapped round Koroisau once the try had been scored and decided to run over and pull him off.
Gagai, finding himself smack bang in the middle of the Blues' try celebrations, fought back and ended up butting heads with Mitchell as things turned ugly.
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Both stars looked particularly fuming during the entire ordeal, made even more damning by the fact that they're working colleagues over in South Sydney.
But, that's Origin football, right?
Despite the fiery showdown, Mitchell insists the pair are "still brothers" off the field, while also admitting that their rivalry will never stop when they both pull on their respective Origin jumpers.
"I love 'Gags', [but] I don't show no respect on the field, that is how I play," Mitchell told Nine after the game.
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"After it, we show we're brothers again. He is my teammate back in club land, I love him. In this arena, we're not mates."
Queensland went on to win the game 20-18, avoiding being swept in the Origin series for the first time since 2000.
Featured Image Credit: Nine/PATopics: Latrell Mitchell, nrl, Australia
