Fans expressed significant dissatisfaction with Emma Tomlinson's rendition of the national anthem prior to State of Origin III, with many taking to social media to voice their criticism. The Queensland singer-songwriter's performance ahead of the series decider drew comments describing it as "nervy" and that she "slaughtered it."
Online commentary highlighted perceived issues with Tomlinson's timing and vocal delivery. One user on X, identified as matt666, suggested "scrap the national anthem at all sporting events." Another user, Matt, commented, "And the anthem singer is out of time. How bad have these origin anthem performers been this year?" A user named Jason Ford made a pun, stating, "You've heard of NSYNC? That anther was OUTOFSYNC."
Some criticism extended beyond the vocal performance, with one user questioning the accent used, asking, "Was that national anthem in British accent?"
The national anthem performance marks the latest in a series of pre-game disruptions surrounding the State of Origin. A significant Telstra network outage caused disruptions, raising initial concerns about the availability of the video review system for the match. A solution was eventually found by relocating the bunker operations to a television truck in Brisbane, allowing replays to be monitored, although this also led to a change in match officials for bunker duty, with Gerard Sutton and Jared Maxwell being brought in. The bunker, normally based in Sydney, allows officials to review replays from multiple camera angles and communicate with referees on the field.
This year's State of Origin has seen multiple performers receive criticism for their national anthem renditions. Robbie Mortimer's performance before Origin I was previously described as the "worst ever."