The Biggest Grubs To Ever Play State Of Origin

The Biggest Grubs To Ever Play State Of Origin

Liam Fogarty

This time of year really brings the absolute worst in people.

The second that State of Origin rolls around, your lifelong friend who happens to be from south of the Tweed River despises you.

Mates who would have your back through anything send you abusive messages and are suddenly insufferable to hang out with.

That’s one of the things we love about State of Origin though, the tribalism, the hatred.

The mate vs mate, state vs state slogan is very real, and it’s not just played out in living rooms across the country – it happens on the field as well.

Bloke’s who may spend all year together at a club could end up punching on, players who are normally very regular human beings turn into grubs and the blokes who are grubs at club level take their game to the next level and become flogs.

Rugby League fans have a love/hate relationship with grubs.

You turn a blind eye when they’re on your team but if they are against you, the punters will unload on them.

Queensland and New South Wales have had their fair share of grubs & flogs.

To celebrate another year of State of Origin kicking I thought I’d rev up the punters by listing some of the players we all love to hate.

For bias sake too, I might include a couple Queenslanders.

Paul Gallen

The man that ruined Origin for future generations.

Paul Gallen’s cowardly and unprovoked punches on a poor, defenceless Nate Myles in 2013 is the reason Rugby League players can’t throw them anymore.

If you’re like me and are sick of the little huddles that players run into where they give each other a shove and a kiss.

You can blame Paul Gallen for that.

Not to mention he was a massive whinger.

Often, he would sook to the ref about things Queenslanders were allegedly doing in a tackle (twisting legs, hands in the face) only to be doing them himself when the Blues were on defence.

What a flog!

Did you know that Gal only won one series too, sucked in!

Nate Myles

Nate Myles loved to get a bit grubby in a tackle.

Headbutts, swinging arms, leg twists, knees even.

The big fella had every trick in the book up his sleeve and got away with (nearly) all of it.

He loved to hurt New South Welshmen and we as Queenslanders could get around that.

Did he deserve to get his jaw spun by Gal?

Probably, but if New South Welshmen weren’t so precious and borrowed a few tricks from Nate maybe we’d still get to see the boys throwing hands.

Anthony Watmough

He was a grub at Manly and took it to another level for Origin.

If you were tackled by the Blues “enforcer” you were in for an onslaught of elbows, headbutting and he loved a cannonball too.

A scrap was always not far away when Watmough was in around the ruck but I only ever remember him being third man in which is pretty on brand for him.

Carl Webb

Rest in peace to the great man, you’d imagine he’d be pretty proud to make it on this list. We miss you Charlie.

Big Charlie Webb was nothing but pure aggression and that’s why we as Queenslanders loved him but those blokes south of the border… not so much.

One of the biggest State of Origin moments ever involves Carl.

His reaction to a high shot from Luke Bailey not getting penalised which lead to that famous photo of him squaring up with the Q carved into his head.

What people forget is the next two tackles where Webb jams Bailey twice more and then wins QLD the ball after giving away two penalties.

That passage of play there summed up perfectly why Queenslanders loved him, and Blues fans hated his guts.

Maroons fans, go and get a Q shaved into head for Carl right now.

Greg Bird

Bird is right up there as one of the blokes despised by Queenslanders the most.

It’s very hard to find footage of him online making a tackle below the neck.

Brent Tate got him flush during a melee in 2012 and Queensland got the penalty! How good!

Bird was notorious for his niggle and had an incredible ability to get under Queensland’s skin, his dangerous lifting tackles probably help with that.

Nothing gave me more satisfaction growing up than watching Birdy get smashed. What a grub!

Josh McGuire

Moose! The Queenslander is notorious for being a pest on the field.

Late hits, eye gouges and headbutts are just a few of the things you’ll cop from Moose if you’re in a Blues jersey.

It’s been rumoured as well that McGuire Facebook stalks his opposition before a game to find dirt on you and make his sledges personal.

Brutal stuff from the Queenslander, he’s had his fair share of time on the sidelines for let’s call them “ruck infringements”.

Josh Reynolds

The blokes nickname is literally “Grub” need I say more?

He only played four games for the Blues but Reynolds and Hodkinson were the NSW halves pairing that broke the QLD winning streak.

He clearly did enough to get under JT’s skin in Game 2 as you can see above.

The future immortal didn’t take too kindly to the stiff arm on Matt Gillett and it was on for young and old.

Stiff arms and illegal lifting was a cornerstone in Reynolds’ game and a serial pest like him was made for the Origin arena.

Justin Hodges

It was always a race between Hodgo and Sammy Thaiday as to who would be third man in.

Justin Hodges wasn’t one to turn down a scrap but often it was his lip service that was more damaging than the punches he threw.

24 games for QLD but, I wouldn’t call him a grub… I’d call him a dead set Origin legend.

Jarome Luai

NSW are ushering in the next generation of Grubs and are doing a bloody good job of it.

Just have a go at the early moments of Game 3 in 2022 will ya?

Luai standing over an unconscious Selwyn Cobbo just sums up the type of people New South Welshmen are and I hope he becomes a 30 gamer for the Blues, I love watching the Maroons have a crack at him.

Not that he seems to mind the label.

Hudson Young

Not a huge amount of footage of his grubbiness at Origin level just yet but I think the Canberra backrower who’s been very naughty at club level will give me more reasons to add to this list in the 2024 series.

Just have a look at his involvements to start the series in the video above, forearms to the face of DCE on his hit up and then going out of his way to target the Maroons captain once again when the scuffle starts.

Hudson has made this list purely on potential, I think he’s got it in him to cement himself as one of the all time great grubs – it’s now up to him to live up to that potential.

Jharal Yow-Yeh

That’s right, Neds NRL Unpopular Opinions Podcast’s own JYY is in my crosshairs.

JYY is more of a pest than anything else if you ask me, especially in the podcast studio.

I just went back and had a look, he made just the nine State Of Origin tackles, not enough to truly cement himself as a grub if you ask me.

QLD just don’t have any grubby players so I’m clutching at straws to keep this list even.

If you want a more comprehensive list of State Of Origin Grubs, I found this great list in my research. Go check it out!

These blokes certainly loved to let their hatred for the opposition fly when they were on the field and its characters like them that make State of Origin as exciting to watch as it is.

The game needs flogs, dogs and grubs regardless of how you feel about them I can’t imagine Origin being remotely as interesting as it is with out these guys.

I just wish that they could belt each other again.

Who do you think is the biggest flog to ever play Origin? Leave us a comment on Facebook.