Robbie Farah pushed through the pain barrier in another hotly contested State of Origin encounter, but the Maroons believe he should never have got the chance after claiming the NSW skipper should have been removed from the fray with concussion.
Farah suffered a shoulder injury after Justin Hodges backslammed him into the ANZ Stadium turf in the 28th minute. The Wests Tigers hooker – skippering the team in the absence of the injured Paul Gallen – failed to immediately return to his feet, prompting the Maroons to call for him to be taken to the sidelines to be assessed after an apparent head knock.
Hodges, who was cleared to make his 21st interstate appearance after overcoming a foot injury sustained while bicycling in camp, appeared to be one of the Maroons yelling "concussion!" in the hope the inspirational hooker would be forced off.
The Blues trainer wasn't the only official that deemed Farah fit to play on. For the first time in history, the NRL engaged two independent doctors to oversee a State of Origin fixture. Immediately, they had a contentious case to rule on. Tournament medical officer Ken Chrichton, who was joined by chief medical officer Dr Paul Bloomfield for the first time, had access to video monitors to review the incident. However, the pair appeared satisfied with the decision to allow Farah to continue.
Farah was clearly hampered by the shoulder injury he suffered in the collision but was still one of the most influential players on the field. His workload with and without the ball was huge, completing a game-high 55 tackles and cleaning up a Cooper Cronk grubber kick when the Maroons appeared poised to score. No wonder the Queenslanders wanted him off the park. The fact NSW had no ready-made replacement would have only added to Queensland's frustrations. The Blues were without a Craig Wing or Kurt Gidley-style utility on the bench, opting instead for four forwards. Which probably would have resulted in Josh Jackson going to dummy half, a move which would not have improved their chances. On this occasion, at least from an injury perspective, the gamble not to have any cover for the Blues spine paid off. Concussion had been a focus in the lead up. Ryan Hoffman, the winner of the Brad Fittler Medal alongside Jarryd Hayne last year, was knocked out twice in the space of a month but was cleared to play. The Warriors forward showed no ill effects and was one of the best on field.
