- Savannah Fynn had plenty of admirers as she performed Welcome to Country
- Same can’t be said for national anthem singer Dylan Wright
Savannah Fynn turned heads performing Welcome to Country at the State of Origin opener on Wednesday night in Sydney – but footy fans slammed Dylan Wright’s ‘hipster’ rendition of the national anthem.
Fynn, 21, spoke with maturity beyond her years when she acknowledged the traditional owners of the land, before declaring ‘may the best team win’ while kitted out in Blues gear.
Not everyone was raving about Fynn however, with one fan posting ‘that Welcome to Country felt so corporate’, with another stating it was ‘painful and drawn out.’
This year’s Australian Idol winner Wright provided a country music rendition of Advance Australia Fair – and it wasn’t well received by many supporters on social media.
‘The Blues have already lost #Origin because of that anthem,’ one NSW fan fumed on X.
Savannah Fynn was a head turner when she performed the Welcome to Country at the Origin opener on Wednesday night in Sydney
Footy fans slammed the performance of Dylan Wright when it came to the national anthem
Another posted: ‘Not a fan of artists putting their spin on the national anthem.
‘Either sing it properly, or just play the Julie Anthony recording.’
A third weighed in with: ‘I hate to sound like a boomer but can’t they just sing the anthem normally.’
‘What is this the Hipster Anthem? Diabolical,’ posted one viewer.
‘Could be the worst anthem rendition in recent memory,’ quipped another.
Fynn spoke with maturity beyond her years when she acknowledged the traditional owners of the land
Fynn acknowledged her Dubbo roots in the Welcome to Country – pleasing local fans
Fynn did garner some support online, with one footy follower labelling her ‘awesome.’
‘Welcome to country defeats Anthem by some margin,’ one fan said.
‘What a gorgeous welcome to country from that young woman!’ wrote another.
Another expressed her pride at Fynn acknowledging her Dubbo roots, a city in the Orana Region of NSW.
Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i of the Blues was sent off by referee Ashley Klein after just seven minutes
NSW fans were stunned after Queensland kicked out to an early lead in the first half
In a wild opening to the contest, veteran hooker Ben Hunt crossed early for the Maroons and then young gun Reece Walsh was knocked out senseless following a sickening collision with Joseph Sua’ali’i.
The Blues centre – who will play for the Wallabies next year and was a controversial selection in the eyes of many – was sent off by referee Ashley Klein for direct contact to the head in just the seventh minute.
Recalled fullback James Tedesco made it 6-6 moments later as the hosts quickly adjusted to having 12 men, only for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to then cross for his sixth Origin try in as many matches for Billy Slater’s men.
When the Queensland flyer grabbed his second moments later in the 23rd minute, the contest was effectively over.