What the hell happened early into Origin II to prompt Queensland forward Corey Parker to get all Aretha Franklin on NSW counterpart David Klemmer, asking for some R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

In case you missed it, Parker and Klemmer ripped into each other late in the match before a heaving MCG.

"Show some respect," a frustrated Parker told Klemmer.

"Get f---ed you c---,'" was Klemmer's well-considered response.

Parker was interviewed on Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast on Monday morning, and when prodded about why he had made the remark he revealed an incident earlier in the match was the reason.

"Ask David Klemmer," Parker said.

Klemmer isn't buying into it, preferring to allow what happened on the field to stay there.

But he's told others he doesn't actually know of any specific incident. There was plenty of "young bull versus old bull" sledging going on, which has basically been going on since Dally Messenger was signed up by Eastern Suburbs as their marquee player, topped up with attractive third party agreements.

We're also told that much of the tension between Parker and Klemmer - and Blues prop Aaron Woods to some extent - flows on from last year's Four Nations tournament when they were all in the Australian side and Parker was "pulling rank".

And in another intriguing twist, NSW players from past and present campaigns say other Queensland players have tried the "show us some respect" line on them, too.

In breaking news, it's, er, Origin.

Sock it to me. Sock it to me. Sock it to me. (As Aretha might say).

The great escape

"We should be dead."

They are the sobering words of NRL powerbroker Shane Richardson after he and his wife Kate miraculously survived a car accident last Friday afternoon.

They were travelling along the M4 near Penrith - at just over 100kph - on the way to Mudgee for the Country Championships when they were suddenly sideswiped by another vehicle.

Their car slammed into the side rail, swerved across the other lanes and traffic and then hit a pole. The big fella got out, but Kate needed the "jaws of life" to cut her free when rescue services arrived.

"Thanks for that premiership in 2003," said one ambo, referring to Richardson's time at Penrith as chief executive when the club beat the Roosters in the grand final.

When Kate was released from hospital with bruising later that afternoon, the pair dusted themselves off, jumped in a hire car and kept heading west.

Luckily, Mudgee has much soothing red wine. We're told.