Blues outgun political rivals (and all their ringers) in the parliamentary state of origin

Smell fishy? We thought so, too. In fact, this game sounds so crooked it could only have been played by a bunch of politicians.

(Checks press notes). Oh.

NSW parliamentarians conquered their Queensland rivals in the annual parliamentary State of Origin challenge, played on a soggy field outside Parliament House in Canberra.

Shortland MP Pat Conroy captained the Blues to their fifth consecutive win in the sixth outing for the annual friendly.

Of course, the match wasn't without controversy. Brad Fittler scored the Blues' third try after David Pocock's staffer Lincoln Magee dazzled with a double but injured his hamstring in the process. And the Queenslanders still couldn't secure the win, even with former professional union man David Pocock and two ringers who looked suspiciously like Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillet on the roster. (There's no mention of which portfolios they're running, but we assume it's all legit).

Topics would never suggest unscrupulous, unsportsmanlike conduct. (From our political types? Perish the thought!). Besides, if nothing else, we like not being sued for defamation. So, just the facts.

Mr Conroy was ecstatic as he lifted the shield for the fourth time as captain, celebrating the NSW team's fifth consecutive win.

"ACT Senator David Pocock donned a Maroons jersey, joining two former Kangaroos in Sam Thaiday and Matt Gillett, and they still couldn't get the job done," he boasted.

"Leading Freddy Fittler onto the park was a career highlight. While he might be moving a bit slower, his legendary left-foot step was still there, as were his bullet-like cut-out passes."

Simon Kennedy, who replaced Scott Morrison and showed up wearing pineapple boardshorts, won man of the match for his performance for the Blues and took home a signed jersey.

Queensland scored two, but Nationals Keith Pitt, Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce couldn't take a trick.

Conroy copped the first penalty after giving a Queenslander the "Samoan sidestep" and bowling him over, according to the far more impartial AAP reporters on the case. But the Maroons got their own back, with Canavan and former Broncos star Sam Thaiday crashing through a NSW winger in a blatantly illegal tackle for touch rugby, including a forearm to the head.

Blues enforcer and Hunter MP Dan Repacholi, standing over two metres tall, missed out on both the Olympic shooting team and a starting spot as agility swayed the selectors.

The annual match never fails to generate some buzz as the professional noise-makers quibble over the result. In 2022, PM Anthony Albanese famously called for an "inquiry into some of these players and who they are playing for" after that year's match, only - we are certain - to get to the bottom of some accusations of ringers and not to deflect heat from a dodgy try of his during the match.

All jokes aside, Mr Conroy says the parliamentary friendly that sets aside political difference once a year to toss the footy around is a favourite on his sitting calendar (we're not surprised, given how often he wins). He hopes they inspired those other Blues to bring home the real shield in next week's decider.