By Steve Mascord
July 7, 2005
If Origin III was Ben Kennedy's last representative game, he certainly gave the rugby league world plenty to remember him by.
After a typically industrious display in the Blues series-clinching 32-10 win, the sometimes media-shy Manly forward delivered one of the most colourful interviews of the season.
After being involved in a controversial incident that left Maroons second-rower Michael Crocker on report for a high tackle, Kennedy said:
#9632; Queensland had been "embarrassed" by the size of the scoreline and had fallen behind NSW;
#9632; Taunted retiring Maroons team manager Chris Close over his one-fingered salute to the Blues bench during Origin I;
#9632; Slammed accusations that he took a dive to attract a penalty after he was tackled by Crocker in the first half, insisting, "there's no frigging way";
#9632; Described the victory as being "pretty close to winning a grand final" and said he was "glad we lost the first" Origin because it allowed last night to happen.
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"I think we might have embarrassed them a bit up here," said Kennedy, who said in April he would quit representative football after the interstate series.
"They only scored a couple of tries late, they weren't really in the second game and I think if we had put on a bit more pressure in the first, we should probably have beaten them there as well. I think they might be a little bit behind us."
Maroons coach Michael Hagan said of the first-half Crocker-on-Kennedy tackle: "It was out of character for Ben but I suppose you've got to do what you've got to do to win these sorts of games."
Maroons captain Darren Lockyer added: "He is obviously using the video referee, that if you stay down the video referee will give a penalty. If that tackle is a penalty, then
"
An investigation after the game determined Crocker didn't have a case to answer over the incident. Kennedy took offence at suggestions he took a dive in the tackle.
"I hear they said I layed down," he said. "There's no frigging way I would have lay down, ever, in a game. I just want to quash that now.
"I couldn't give a **** what anyone thinks. I was a bit stung and that was it. It was a tackle that went wrong and that was it for me."
Maroons interchange forward Ben Ross stood over Kennedy and demanded he get to his feet but the Blues forward said: "I didn't know what was going on."
"Look, I don't want to make a big deal of it. We've just won up in Queensland. Let's enjoy that," Kennedy said. "And where's Choppy's [Chris Close] finger now? That's what I want to ask."
Asked if he would be going ahead with plans to retire, he said: "I'd say so. I'm obviously on an emotional high at the moment. It's a pretty special thing we've done, only one other team has ever done it. I won't say anything for now. I'll wait and see."
Blues interchange forward Steve Simpson (corked thigh) is unlikely to play for Newcastle against North Queensland on the weekend, while St George Illawarra centre Matt Cooper (calf) and Bulldogs forward Andrew Ryan (rib cartilage) are in doubt for their clubs round 18 matches. The Sydney Roosters have suffered a blow with Queensland replacement forward Chris Flannery (calf) ruled out for three weeks.
