A Queensland star ripped off the boot of Blues captain Boyd Cordner and hurled it into the stands in a move that seemed to go unnoticed during the State of Origin series opener.
Ben Hunt's questionable tactic came as Cordner was tackled during the second half of Game One at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
Hunt threw the boot towards the crowd, but Cordner continued to play with just a sock on his left foot for about five minutes.
Only a handful of eagle-eyed fans seemed to be the only ones to pick up on the incident.
Queensland's Ben Hunt (pictured left) stole Boyd Cordner's (pictured middle) boot in the middle of a tackle during the second half of the State of Origin opener at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium
'Surely lobbing an opposition player's boot into the stand is a professional foul?,' one questioned.
'So in Origin, it's OK to rip a bloke's boot off and throw it as far as you can towards crowd? Bizarre,' another said.
Others thought Hunt's actions were a memorable part of what's been dubbed one of the greatest Origin matches in recent memory.
'Sensational game of Origin by the way, boot toss and all,' one said.
Hunt threw the boot towards the crowd, but Cordner (top left) continued to play with just a sock on his left foot for about five minutes
Hunt threw the boot towards the crowd but Cordner continued to play with only one shoe for ten minutes
Another fan joked: 'At last report, NASA is tracking Boyd Cordner's boot through Orion's Belt.'
The Maroons claimed the State of Origin opener 18-14 on home soil, after losing the series to the Blues last year.
More than 52,000 thousand fans flocked to Suncorp for the promise of an action-packed match - and they didn't leave disappointed.
A try-scoring double by man of the match Dane Gagai helped the Maroons overcome an 8-0 halftime deficit and a string of missed chances to draw first blood.
But the game included a series of questionable refereeing decisions.
The Maroons have claimed the State of Origin opener on home soil, after losing the series to the Blues last year
QLD Maroons fan cheer for the squad during Wednesday's victory in Brisbane
The video referee denied attempts from Dylan Napa and Corey
