It was alleged Dugan and Ferguson were drunk at the Lennox Point Hotel on the Friday prior to Game III in the State of Origin, and were hidden from the press the following morning. 

However, in a strongly-worded statement released by the governing body of rugby league in NSW on Wednesday, it stated the "NSWRL Board is satisfied that the players were not drunk" and that "they were not acting like 'clowns'."

They also shut down reports that Dugan and Ferguson were hidden from media, adding "the pair trained at 10am the following morning in full view of the media contingent. They trained strongly."

The statement also sought to clarify reports in which Fifita had a conversation with NSW coach Laurie Daley on the day of the game, which alleged Fifita reacted badly to being told he was going to start on the bench. 

"It is asserted that Andrew Fifita’s reaction to this news was so strongly negative that Laurie Daley changed his mind and reinstated him to the starting line-up," the statement read.

"As you would expect, a coach and his players regularly discuss on-field tactical options and all manner of off field issues as well. Laurie had conversations of these types with Andrew during the course of the camp. 

"However, it is entirely false to suggest that on the morning of the game (or at any other time during the camp) Laurie had a conversation with Andrew in which he advised Andrew that he was starting on the bench. 

"That position (that there was no such conversation) was correctly reported in the press yesterday morning and against that background, it is disappointing that the false assertions of the purported conversation continued to be maintained."

NWSRL will conduct a full review of their disappointing 2017 State of Origin series in due time, but elected to release a statement to "urgently correct the record regarding a number of inaccurate assertions which have been made and which are highly damaging to NSWRL and to a number of people within our organisation."

The statement concluded with the following two paragraphs:

"The State of Origin series evokes emotions of incredible intensity, quite unlike any other event in sport. Naturally, when a series which started with such optimism concludes on a disappointing note, everyone who supports the NSW Blues and who has an emotional commitment to them hurts. This is particularly so after a lengthy period of such disappointment. There should be no doubt that everyone at NSWRL is hurting badly at the moment, none more so than Laurie Daley and his team.
 
"Much has been spoken about culture. The focal point of any strong culture is that when times are tough, the strong culture ensures that there is an absence of blame shifting, an absence of scapegoating, a support for those within the group and a commitment to make necessary improvements in an objective way after a period of proper reflection and analysis. NSWRL has such a culture, supported by a strong board. NSWRL calls on everyone to allow for that proper period of reflection and analysis of the 2017 State of Origin series in the absence of a search for scapegoats but with a commitment to make any necessary improvements in an objective way."