Why State of Origin fans and greats are furious with last night's Channel 9 telecast.

We did it. We got through last night’s game one of the 2018 State of Origin series.

Well, unless you’re a Queensland fan. Condolences.

The NSW Blues won the first of three games at Melbourne’s MCG 22-12, taking the lead in the series 1-0.

But whether you’re a Blues fan or you bleed Maroon, there’s a good chance a few ‘referee blunders’ left you scratching your head. Or throwing chips at the TV.

After the game, rugby league commentators – NSW legend Paul Gallen and former Queensland captain Cameron Smith – said the Blues benefited from two questionable referee decisions, both of which were hardly mentioned during Channel Nine’s live telecast.

The first came in the second half when Maroon’s winger Dane Gagai was tackled by two NSW defenders. The ball came out of his grasp, but it appeared Blue rookie Angus Crichton was digging into Gagai’s injured hand.

“NSW really only came back off a call where Dane Gagai dropped the ball. That call seemed to be the turning point right there,” Smith told Channel Nine in a post-match interview.

“NSW went bang, bang with two tries and really never looked back.”

I still can’t get over how Crichton wasn’t called for a blatant strip on Gagai #origin

— Melanie Dinjaski (@MelanieDinjaski) June 6, 2018

“But he got away with it” Rabs says of Crichton, well that’s the bloody story of the night innit #origin

— Melanie Dinjaski (@MelanieDinjaski) June 6, 2018

I wonder how different that game would have been had the penalty been called on Crichton instead of Gagai. Qld all the momentum, foot on throat. Next minute try NSW, game changed!

— Matt Jackson (@Mjackson_racing) June 6, 2018

All sports fans know calls from referees that don’t go your way are a part of the game. An infuriating part, yes, but also unavoidable.

However, it’s Channel Nine’s acknowledgement (or lack thereof) that’s got State of Origin fans and commentators feeling duped.

This was especially prevalent when referees missed the ‘blatant forward pass’ from Blues star James Tedesco that resulted in a match-winning try in the 68th minute to Josh Addo-Carr.

The Channel Nine commentary team’s failure to acknowledge the infraction angered commentators and fans on both sides (albeit a tad quieter on the NSW side), with talk the organisation’s commentary of the game was biased towards NSW.

Not much of a forward pass in the State of Origin…pic.twitter.com/BrCMYSTkAN

— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) June 6, 2018

Love a Blues try but if you pass a ball before a line and it’s caught in front of that same line isn’t that a forward pass ? Okay, sorry, I will shut up and just enjoy the moment ! #GoBlues #Origin2018 pic.twitter.com/k3HFmPNAMe

— BenFordham (@BenFordham) June 6, 2018

#Origin Now I understand I didn’t grow up with the game but isn’t a forward pass penalized?

— Graham Cornes (@Cornesy12) June 6, 2018

Not one mention of the Maloney forward pass for that last try by the Ch 9 commentary team. Not one. To be fair, hard to pick it through the blue Pom poms they have been waving all game. #Origin

— Greg Davis (@GregDavis_cmail) June 6, 2018

Look at Maloney a metre behind the line when he throws the pass.

Then look at Addo-Carr a metre over the line when he catches it.

Two referees are there and both miss it. Shocking. @NRL sort it out.#QLDER #Origin2018 #stateoforigin2018 pic.twitter.com/oB5OzpWTkF

— CAPEL (@laurencecapel) June 6, 2018

Losing is part of sport. But to have a blatant forward pass basically ignored (by the refs and ch9 commentary team) is just crap #StateofOrigin

— Melanie Petrinec (@MelaniePetrinec) June 6, 2018

Blues coach Brad Fittler addressed the referee calls in a post-game press conference.

“I don’t know if there were many decisions that the referees had to really call on,” he said, News.com.au reports.

“There was the (Dane) Gagai one. The Jimmy Maloney pass was a fifty-fifty that went against us. Outside of that it was pretty clear cut. There weren’t many questionable decisions.”

NSW and Queensland will play-off again in the 2018 State of Origin game two on June 24 in Sydney.

Do you watch State of Origin? Why does the game get you so fired up?