The decision to send Kalyn Ponga off during State of Origin I has left many Origin greats "in shock," paving the way for New South Wales to stage a comeback at Homebush.
Darren Lockyer, a former captain of the Maroons, expressed that it was clearly "the turning point" of the game and a difficult reality to accept, as he noted how referee Ashley Klein overruled the bunker, opting to dismiss Ponga entirely rather than issuing a sin-bin or a 10-minute penalty.
"That's the turning point; we lose the game off the back of that. There'll be a lot of people north of the border that struggle to accept that decision," he added.
At the moment of Ponga's send-off, Queensland was still ahead 20-6 when Tolu Koula made a run down the left wing with 23 minutes remaining in the match.
As Koula angled toward the ground to evade the sideline, halfback Sam Walker sprinted across to tackle him, leading to a collision with Ponga.
Both players lowered themselves, and Ponga positioned his left arm for a classic shoulder charge, resulting in a harsh head clash as shown in the replays.
With Koula lying on the field with a cut to his eyebrow, players from both teams engaged in pushing and shoving.
Ponga looked visibly distressed, acutely aware of the trouble he faced, while Blues lock Cameron Murray reminded Klein of the recent send-off of NSW's Joseph Suaalii for a different high shot on Reece Walsh.
Klein was soon heard stating, "I'm thinking that's a send-off," amid an apparent disagreement with bunker official Chris Butler regarding the level of punishment warranted.