Controversy Erupts as To’o Sin Bin Sparks Origin Drama – Slater Calls for Penalty Try, Daley Fires Back
State of Origin coaches Laurie Daley and Billy Slater have weighed in on the controversial sin-binning of New South Wales winger Brian To’o during Game 1 of the 2025 series.
To’o was shown a yellow card in the first half following a high-pressure defensive play where he made contact with Queensland winger Xavier Coates, who was chasing a kick near the try line. The Maroons capitalised on the man advantage, scoring a try during the ten-minute period. However, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide, as the Blues ultimately came away with a hard-fought win against an out-of-sorts Queensland side.
Post-match, Blues coach Laurie Daley offered a measured response when asked about the incident. He avoided directly criticising the decision but questioned the nature of the sin bin.
“He went up to contest it, and in a split second, his hand was on the shoulder,” Daley explained. “If you slow anything down, you can make it look like whatever you want.”
Queensland coach Billy Slater, meanwhile, was far more direct. He supported the sin bin decision and went as far as to suggest a penalty try could have been awarded.
“Yeah, I think that was about right,” Slater said. “It was either a penalty try or a sin bin. The fact that Xavier didn’t take clean possession probably tipped it towards the bin rather than the try.”
Despite the controversy, the Blues held firm, taking a 1-0 series lead.
