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What Nate Myles said to Paul Gallen before infamous Origin punch

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·3-min read
Paul Gallen punches Nate Myles in the face during State of Origin.
Paul Gallen punches Nate Myles during game one of the ARL State of Origin on June 5, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Former NSW captain Paul Gallen has revealed what prompted his fierce biff with Maroons forward Nate Myles in the 2013 Origin series.

“Nate twisted my knee in a tackle, just before Michael Jennings scored a try. I went to Nate and I said, ‘If you do that again, I’m gonna punch you in the head’,” Gallen said on the podcast ‘The Captain and the Coach’.

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Gallen was cited for a swinging arm as the third man into a tackle, but said Myles’ elbow triggered him.

“There was less than a minute to go before half-time and Nate was having a run. So I did give him a little tap in the head and he rolled over and said, ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’ and gave me an elbow back.

“As he got up to play the ball, he gave me a big shove and said, ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’ and came charging towards me. As he was coming towards me, I just thought exactly that; that I’m gonna get in first, that I’m gonna punch him.”

Gallen hit Myles twice, before there was chaos for 30 seconds and the Maroons were eventually awarded the penalty.

Banning the biff made forwards better: Gallen

Myles may disagree but Gallen says some forwards should be thanking him for throwing the infamous State of Origin punch that ensured the NRL banned the biff.

While Gallen reckons the NRL's reaction to his fisticuffs with the Queensland prop in that 2013 Origin clash had been "over the top", the ex-NSW captain believes it has since made some forwards better players.

The NRL launched a crackdown on fighting in the aftermath, much to the old-school Gallen's initial disappointment.

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"What came out of it was a little bit surprising, I thought it was a little bit over the top," Gallen told Wide World of Sports.

"I used to watch State of Origin as a kid and see the first fight, there was always dust-ups in Origin.

"I think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Sure enough, the fighting in rugby league was cancelled after that."

But Gallen believed the NRL's hard-line stance had made some forwards better players, letting them run the ball without fear of reprisals.

Paul Gallen punches Nate Myles during the State of Origin series.
Paul Gallenpunches Nate Myles of the Maroons during game one of the State of Origin series. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

"I think it has helped some forwards," he said.

"I think some forwards in the game who may not have liked that side of the game or may not have been willing to do anything when it came to that side of the game, I think it's made some of them better players because of that, I really do.

"There's no risk of someone slapping them or punching them in the head or having a real go at them on the field.

"That part of the game's gone, so it has made some players better."

Still, Gallen was unsure whether banning the biff had made the game better.

"It's a real fine line. Has it ruined the game? Has it taken something away from the game? I don't know," he said.

"If it's better for the game as a whole, as far as getting kids to play the game ... then I'm fine with it (ban)."