Punches Thrown Between Dane Gagai And Matt Burton Sparking Huge All-In Brawl

It's all kicking off in State of Origin Game 3!

Tempers flared in the second half of the fiery clash when Dane Gagai and Matt Burton started throwing haymakers.

The wild fight, which saw both men land flush punches to the chops, ultimately sparked a huge all-in brawl between the two teams.

At first, the reason for the biff remained unknown as the referee's focus remained on a potential Daly Cherry-Evans try.

But when the replay showed up on the big screen inside Suncorp Stadium, we got a pretty good view of how it all unfolded.

With Queensland in possession, recovering New South Wales star Burton appeared to accidentally collide with Maroons fullback Kalyn Ponga in back play.

Queensland winger Gagai took exception to this and charged over to confront Burton, knocking his rival centre to the ground.

Clearly fuming, Burton ran over to Gagai but was clocked with a right hook before he could even get close to his opposite number.

Burton retaliated by throwing a few wild swings of his own, but it was Gagai doing most of the damage, connecting with a few big blows.

Meanwhile, as the game continued, Cherry-Evans dinked the ball over the Blues' defensive line before grounding the ball in the in-goal.

Question marks remained as to whether the try would stand, but there was something far more concerning going on behind them.

Instead of celebrating, the Queensland players rushed over to where it was all kicking off between Gagai and Burton.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was first on the scene, getting Burton in a head lock and wrestling him to the ground.

But it wasn't long before the New South Wales reinforcements came running in from all angles, creating a melee of bodies all trying to rip each other away from the action.

The scuffle was eventually defused and the referee wasted no time in sending both Gagai and Burton to the sin bin.

Rugby league fans are always calling to 'bring back the biff'.

Well, ask and you shall receive, people.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/NRLonNine

Topics: Australia, NRL, Rugby League

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry