New South Wales Blues coach Brad Fittler has stopped short of playing the blame game for a loss in Wednesday night's State of Origin decider against the Queensland Maroons, but suggested Matt Burton should never have been sin binned.
In one of the more controversial moments in the decider, Matt Burton and Dane Gagai came to blows before both were sin binned.
It followed a break from Queensland star fullback and man of the match Kalyn Ponga, who ended up on the ground.
The Maroons went on to drop the ball over the line, but it was in back play where all the action went down.
Burton, who ran over Ponga, was shouldered to the ground by Dane Gagai who came off his wing, with the duo then coming to blows before being placed in the bin by referee Ashley Klein.
"You can decide," Fittler said in a post-match press conference.
"At the end of the day, he didn't initiate it Burto. He isn't going to fight anyone.
"He got belted, we got the penalty, then ended up in a headlock and we walk out with one player down each.
"It's a tad ridiculous, but it is what it is."
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was also involved in the incident, being the third man in to wrap Matt Burton in a headlock and pull him away from Gagai.
While the Titans' forward was able to stay on the field, he was hit with a Grade 1 charge for dangerous contact out of the incident.
The game, widely described already as one of the greatest Origins of all-time, would ultimately see the Blues fall 22 points to 12, but Fittler rejected the notion it was one of the great Origins.
"Well, that's up for people to decide," Fittler said.
"If I look at the way we played, we came up with some basic errors, so to say that's anywhere near our best performance, which would then take away from being the greatest Origin.
"Queensland were really good and without Cam Munster, it was a great performance. I thought Tom Dearden was excellent.
"From the point of view of Queensland, it might have been their greatest performance, as in the greatest game, I'd say no."
