Nationals MP's row with angry NRL fan after State of Origin watch party: 'Totally out of control'

By NICHOLAS COMINO, POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 07:11, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 07:27, 28 May 2026 Wild video shows former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack in a tense confrontation with an NRL fan after a State of Origin watch party.  The Nationals MP said the trouble began inside the Eastlake Football Club, where a group of Queensland fans, some in high vis jackets, were 'extremely boisterous' throughout the game.  'This bloke had been out of control most of the game,' he told Sky News host Kieran Gilbert and political editor Andrew Clennell on Thursday. 'I'd asked the staff to remove him at halftime because he was totally out of control.' The situation escalated after full-time when the man allegedly attempted to urinate near the club entrance. McCormack said he intervened immediately.  'He started to abuse me, he then started to urinate right near the steps, and I said, "Mate, there's women going to come out of the club, you can't do that here,"' he said. The confrontation quickly intensified when the man followed him outside, McCormack said.  'Halfway through the process he wanted to take my head off. It was a bit concerning,' he added. Michael McCormack (pictured) confronted a group of unruly men outside of a Canberra pub Michael McCormack (pictured) said the pubgoers thought he and others were Labor MPs  McCormack claimed the confrontation was partly fuelled by political confusion, with the men targeting those they believed were linked to Labor and Anthony Albanese.  He said the group had been 'abusing the Prime Minister, yelling obscenities out about the Prime Minister' during the night.  'They must have thought we were part of the government,' he added. 'Mate, you might not like the bloke, but you've got to respect the office,' he said.  Despite the risk of escalation, McCormack said he did not regret stepping in.  'If you let that behaviour go unchallenged, then that's the behaviour you accept,' he told the Sky News hosts.  'Men should step up and speak out whenever that sort of behaviour is shown.' Security staff and Liberal MP Tony Pasin defused the situation. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.