Former NSW captain Paul Gallen has launched a furious attack on Queensland’s State of Origin camp, calling it ‘embarrassing and sickening’ that the Maroons keep marketing themselves as underdogs before game one of the 2026 series.
Paul Gallen doesn’t sound like someone warming up for another State of Origin night. He sounds like someone fed up.
Ahead of the 2026 State of Origin series opener. the former NSW captain has taken aim at Queensland’s underdog narrative. calling the Maroons’ stance “embarrassing” and “sickening”. Gallen. a long-time public enemy north of the border. fired off a relentless verbal tirade at the idea that NSW should be treated as the favourites while Queensland wrap themselves in sympathy.
“I despise them,” Gallen said on 2GB radio in Sydney. “I hate just how they think Origin’s all about them, their own self-importance. It’s embarrassing.”
He was equally blunt about the way Queensland portray themselves. “To hear them talk about the underdog tag and how they’re underdogs, and how NSW are deserving favourites, it’s honestly sickening. It’s disgusting.”
For Gallen, the anger is personal. No one has endured more Origin heartbreak in history than the former NSW captain. who featured in 10 series defeats and won only one in 2016. That history sits behind the sting of his argument: Queensland have done enough at Origin to stop acting like the story is about them being overlooked.
“Like, I don’t understand why they need it so much,” Gallen added. “They’ve won more Origin games than us. They’ve won more series than us … for them to continually carry on about it, it’s sickening.”
The veteran is also frustrated by how easily the narrative seems to stick with the wider public. “And what annoys me most is that people of the world keep buying into it, [that] they are actually the underdogs, we are actually the favourites,” Gallen said.
Queensland’s claim to underdog status is tied, in his view, to another talking point: that Queenslanders are more passionate because the Maroons won every series from 2006 to 2013. Gallen rejects that line hard.
“Because of what happened in that eight-year period with us, they’re able to say that,” he said. “But when you’ve got probably six or seven future Immortals in the side, you’re probably going to win most games.”
What Gallen can’t stomach is how NSW’s own approach is framed. “You know, whenever we win, we’re just happy to win and walk away and wait till next year,” he said.
He then turned from critic to challenger. “We don’t carry on and rub it into Queensland’s face. So I’m hoping if we win this year, I’m going to be letting every single Queenslander know about it for 12 months. Yes, every single one of them, because the crap they carry on with is ridiculous.”
Queensland begin the 2026 series as the underdogs, with bookmakers listing the Maroons at $2.30 for game one and the Blues at $1.65. Queensland coach Billy Slater is seeking a fourth series title in charge this year, adding another pressure layer to an opener already charged by Gallen’s words.
Paul Gallen Queensland Maroons NSW Blues State of Origin 2026 Billy Slater underdog status game one odds
This is why I hate Origin talk, everybody thinks they’re the underdog.
Wait so he’s mad because Queensland are saying they’re underdogs? Like… don’t they just do that to hype the game? Seems kinda dramatic.
I don’t even get the underdog angle. If NSW is “favourites” then shouldn’t Queensland be fine? Also “embarrassing and sickening” is a lot coming from someone who’s literally from NSW lol.
He’s acting like Queensland invented losing or something. Didn’t NSW have like a bunch of heartbreak too? I feel like the headline makes it sound one-sided, but people are gonna pick a side anyway. Also 2026 opener like… way too early to be fighting on the radio, just play the match.