NRL: Warriors hopes go down with Price

Steve Price has been ruled out of the Warriors' trip to Sydney to play the Roosters on Sunday. Photo / Getty Images

A concussion suffered in a brawl in the closing moments of the third State of Origin match has ruled Captain Steve Price out of the Warriors' trip to Sydney to play the Roosters on Sunday.

Price was to be assessed by Warriors medical staff when he arrived back in Auckland today but he confirmed from Brisbane last night that he would not be fit to face the Roosters.

Price was knocked out cold by a punch from NSW replacement Brett White in the closing stages of Wednesday's fiery State of Origin finale at Lang Park. He left the field on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace and was described by Queensland team doctor Roy Saunders as having "copped a good concussion".

The veteran prop was due to return from Australia today, with Warriors medical staff to assess whether he was fit to fly out again with the team tomorrow afternoon.

The Warriors were likely to have the same front row rotation as Sunday's defeat by Canterbury Bulldogs, when Russell Packer started in Price's place, coach Ivan Cleary said.

Price played down the incident, but acknowledged his wife, children and mother had been shaken to see him carted off Suncorp Stadium in a neck brace. "They were a bit upset about it. But it's just footy. Sometimes it goes that way," he told the Courier-Mail newspaper.

"I'm all right, I've just got a fat lip." Price was knocked out while trading blows with White as New South Wales scored a 28-16 win to avoid a whitewash. White appeared to land the decisive punch just as teammate Trent Waterhouse joined in the fray.

Waterhouse's role in charging in and tackling Price saw him become the first NSW player to be sent off in Origin history.

Cleary watched the incident on television and admitted he wondered what his skipper was up to. "I saw Pricey look to shape up and I thought, 'What's he doing, nothing will happen there'.

"When a replay of the fight was shown moments later, I thought, 'Oh no.' With all due respect to Pricey I couldn't imagine him going great in a fight. It's pretty disappointing, but what do you do? You just hope he's all right."

Queensland doctor Saunders said Price had not reported feeling any pins and needles in his arms or legs.

He was unable to say how long Price could be sidelined for. "It depends how he recovers," Saunders said. "Everybody's brain recovers differently."

The altercation was one of several as the series ended in spiteful fashion.

Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston, himself sanctioned for kicking NSW winger David Williams in the head as he scored a try, said the players were angered by Waterhouse's intervention. "Pricey was cheap-shotted and the boys responded to that," Thurston said.

The Queensland camp were angry that Blues players were high-fiving and laughing as Price was on the ground.

Queensland centre Justin Hodges, who could be seen repeatedly yelling "watch your back" at NSW five-eighth Trent Barrett - responsible for a high tackle that knocked out Greg Inglis in Origin II - and vowed revenge when his Brisbane side next meet Barrett's Cronulla.

"It was pretty much everyone, but Barrett is the one who was laughing," Hodges said.

Hodges called for an up-and-under bomb from his captain after the incident and the aggressive response resulted in Queensland forward Sam Thaiday and two-try hero Ben Creagh being sinbinned for 10 minutes.

Waterhouse was slapped with a grade one contrary conduct charge, carrying a one-week ban, only escaping a more serious charge when the match review committee decided Price was already unconscious before his tackle.

White was unrepentant about his part in the fight, which started when Price appeared to leave his knees in a play-the-ball.

"Origin is something that has a lot of passion and with a couple of front-rowers, sometimes things like that happen," White said.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING NZPA, AAP