New South Wales coach Phil Gould and legendary stand-off Brad Fittler bowed out of representative rugby league football as winners today as the Blues beat Queensland 36-14 to retain the State of Origin series.

A late-night altercation with a teammate could have cost Australian rugby league Andrew Johns the chance of captaining his national team.

Australia’s Ashes-winning rugby league team will fly home to Sydney tomorrow without coach Chris Anderson, who is recovering in a British hospital from a heart attack.