Channel Nine star Jayne Azzopardi has had to wear an outfit she hates on the Today show after her colleague Sylvia Jeffreys pranked her on Wednesday.
Jeffreys confessed to organising the practical joke after Azzopardi blamed her for making sure she was dressed in a red top for the show.
Azzopardi is a NSW Blues fan, while Jeffreys is a diehard Maroons supporter who staged the trick with the deciding State of Origin game due to kick off in Brisbane tonight.
‘I’m feeling better now that I’ve got my blue outfit on, much better than this morning,’ Azzopardi told host Sarah Abo after changing back into a top in the colour of the NSW team.
‘I did get to the bottom of just who was responsible for messing with my wardrobe this morning, that saw me wearing red.
‘Sylvia Jeffreys has outed herself!’
Sylvia Jeffreys is pictured happily confessing to stitching up Today newsreader Jayne Azzopardi on Wednesday
Jeffreys, a Queensland diehard, organised for NSW fan Azzopardi to wear a red top (right) during the show, which she hated so much she changed into a blue shirt (left)
Jeffreys said she was ‘caught maroon-handed’ after the State of Origin practical joke
A delighted Jeffreys replied, ‘Caught maroon-handed! It was me.’
‘I’m going to pay her back tomorrow,’ Azzopardi replied.
After the panel debated whether the top the newsreader got pranked with was a deep shade of red or maroon, Jeffreys said, ‘I picked it out of your wardrobe for a reason.’
When she was asked why she wore a pastel yellow top, Jeffreys replied, ‘I bleed maroon, I don’t need to dress maroon.
‘Is there anything better than a decider at Suncorp Stadium?’
Debates over the Origin series have been a regular occurrence on Today, especially when Queensland fanatic Karl Stefanovic was still with the show.
If the bookies are right, Jeffreys will have bragging rights when she’s on air with Nine on Thursday morning.
Queensland are heavy favourites to retain the interstate crown after smashing NSW off the park at the MCG in game two.
Only three Blues sides in the history of Origin have conquered Queensland at Suncorp Stadium in a decider.
While the Blues won the first game of this year’s series, they were thoroughly outplayed by the Maroons until a controversial send-off in the second half.
Queensland’s Kalyn Ponga was marched for a shoulder charge on winger Tolu Koula, paving the way for NSW to storm to a 22-20 victory with three late tries.
