Regardless of the result of this year’s State of Origin series – and it wasn’t the result I wanted to see - there have been a few moments that have again raised questions around referees, the bunker and just how involved officials should be in our biggest sporting contests.

Having been on the sporting field as a player, I have never been one to blame umpires or referees for a loss.

You quickly learn that once emotion takes over and you start worrying about decisions outside your control, it can derail you. Yes, it has and can annoy you at the time of a decision, but you learn to move on quickly.

As a fan, and an Origin fan at that, it’s completely different. You sit at home screaming at the television, shaking your head and wondering how a decision could possibly go against your team. It feels personal. It feels like everything is against you.

Queensland supporters would have experienced plenty of that throughout this series. From Kalyn Ponga’s send-off in game one to some questionable decisions in game three, there were moments that had an impact on the contest.

But the Maroons will also know they didn’t do enough in the first half on Wednesday night. Inside that dressing room, players won’t be blaming the referee or the bunker.

And look, they will be annoyed and frustrated at some decisions made against them. But they will be looking at their own performance and the opportunities they missed. That’s the difference between being inside the contest and watching from the outside.

Playing at home brings its own expectations. I’ve watched plenty of NRL games at Suncorp Stadium, and it is an incredible place. The stadium feels like it sits right on top of the players. You hear every collision and every big hit.

Unfortunately, I’ve never experienced a State of Origin game there, but I imagine it would be like walking out in front of a packed MCG on Boxing Day. That atmosphere is what makes sport special.

What worries me is that officials and technology are becoming too involved in our biggest moments. More so if they are getting them wrong. One thing it does, though, is test your patience and discipline as players.

We now have cameras everywhere, video reviews and technology designed to eliminate mistakes. Yet if the technology still cannot guarantee the correct decision every time, what exactly are we achieving?

The decision when Bradman Best scored a runaway try was challenged and on the replays we all saw on TV, it seemed to go forward off Queensland and the NSW player touched it forward also. It looked so obvious that even the NSW commentators seemed to agree.

The bunker review said they had another camera from the corner post that showed it didn’t touch the NSW player at all. So if that was the case, shouldn’t fans see that?

Personally, I would rather see money and resources invested into improving referees and umpires and allowing them to make decisions on the field. Human error has always been part of sport, and I always preferred it that way.

We see the same issues in cricket and in the AFL. Officials have so much technology available that I sometimes wonder whether it makes decision-making harder rather than easier. It can also feel like officials are becoming more involved in the contest than necessary.

I miss the days when State of Origin was at another level of intensity and physicality. No mates on the field. Battles everywhere. Aggression, confrontation, and genuine dislike between the two sides for 80 minutes.

The players today aren’t soft. The rules have changed.

Of course, player safety matters. Nobody wants reckless tackles or players deliberately being injured. We understand far more about concussion and long-term health than we once did.

But these are still physical sports. Players know they are going to walk off the field battered and bruised, with potential injuries. Fans want to see big tackles, hard collisions, skill, speed, and aggression. Players want to entertain and show off their skills and their physicality. They are the stars of the show.

Sport doesn’t need officials searching for reasons to become involved in every moment. Give the players some responsibility. Accept that mistakes will happen. Let the game breathe.

State of Origin should be fast, physical and right on the edge. That’s what made it great in the first place.