NSW coach Brad Fittler is fuming over negative reactions to his team's State of Origin series win, including accusations of arrogance from Queensland.
Fittler led the Blues to romping victories in the opening two games, claiming the series with a combined scoreline of 76-6. NSW have won three from four series under Fittler and currently enjoy a significant talent advantage.
That has led to concerns being voiced about the future viability of Origin, which Fittler branded "tiring". He was filthy at claims that his Blues players were arrogant, branding the accusation "horrendous".
"Being called arrogant … like, seriously. If there's ever been a team that promoted the game more positively than our team over the last four years…" Fittler said on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.
"I think we got questioned by someone at the QRL about our team being arrogant. If Queensland did half the promotion that our team did on a day-to-day basis at training, opening our team to journalists…
"I know they do a great job and go out to the country but to consider our team arrogant is just horrendous, really, for what our boys have done over the last four years."
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Claims of arrogance against NSW have largely centred on a photo of rookie five-eighth Jarome Luai from Origin I; he was pictured roaring down towards Queensland forward Felise Kaufusi. Luai copped some niggle from the Maroons in Origin II but gave as good as he got, and had the last laugh with the result.
Wins of 50-6 and 26-0 for NSW have revived well-worn expressions of concern about Origin's viability, if the Blues dominate Queensland for an extended period.
Fittler's long-time mentor Phil Gould was one voice of concern, yet the NSW coach said that he was sick of the doomsday narrative. He also suggested that Origin II was a better contest than it appeared, made a blow-out only by NSW's exceptional defence.
"How quickly once again people get on and try to spin it around. Whether they try to soften NSW up or whatever the tactics are, but every time NSW win it seems to be like, 'Is Origin dying?' It gets a little bit tiring actually, I've got to say," Fittler said.
"We saved three tries: Dane Gagai, Tom Trbojevic [on Xavier Coates] and the one with Brian To'o [on Kyle Feldt] at the end of the game. If you put those three tries in, Daly Cherry-Evans missed a 40-20 by about a metre, I feel like the game could be very different. I don't think the game was as different [in margin] as a lot of people made out.
"A couple of last-ditch efforts which, State of Origin's always been about saving tries as well. I know it does point towards our boys' culture for this Origin series but they just made sure that had a little bit more desperation than Queensland.
"I don't think they were far away from being able to put on points, it's just that we defended a lot better than them. I don't think they're far off, they missed Harry Grant and Kalyn Ponga comes back in, so I'm not going down that line at all.
"I just feel it gets tiring, though, that we seem to hold that burden of, every time we win that [shield] we need to think about the future of Origin."
Fittler added, addressing fellow NSW great Andrew Johns: "Joey, I feel like I need that bucket of water to stick my head in. Seriously."
NSW can win their first clean-sweep in an Origin series since 2000 if they win the third game on home turf.
Queensland only claimed one 3-0 result, in 2010, during their incredible run of 11 series wins in 12 years.
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