A posse of Australia’s top pro-am golfers ditched golf clubs for touch football in Yeppoon on Monday in a novel duel for State of Origin supremacy.

The diversion was a hit
as Newcastle’s Callan O’Reilly fired up the idea of a NSW-Queensland footy
contest to capture the passions that golfers feel at this time of year for
rugby league’s State of Origin series.

The Queenslanders did
their best by roping in a ring-in, former Cowboys and Rabbitohs NRL player
Justin Loomans, who, unfortunately, could not carry the load alone.

The NSW boys won 38-8.

The match was the
brainchild of O’Reilly and Brendan Wright, Business Development Manager for PCR
Polyweld, the sponsors of the popular Mining Town Series in Central Queensland
which had just wrapped up with the Dysart Pro-Am.

Gold Coast-based Tim
Hart produced a superb stretch of golf to shoot 42-under-par over the 11 rounds
to win the series by a single shot from Marcus Cain, another standout.

Hart’s speed was an
asset for the Queensland touch side but zealously chasing the runaway NSW
attackers left him with a sore hamstring entering this week’s Capricorn Coast
Invitational in Yeppoon.

"It was to be a
casual game but, of course, it ended up pretty willing at eight-a-side with
two-handed touch and a few collisions. I’m sure a few of the boys will be
feeling some stiffness in unusual places after that," Yeppoon-raised pro
Adam Blyth said.

"It was great to do
something different."

"We’re not great
footballers but a lot of us love the Origin clashes and supporting our
state."

Blyth said watching Wednesday night’s first game
of the 2015 series on TV in Yeppoon would generate another parochial gathering.