Former Queensland coach Graham Lowe has lifted the lid on the day he nearly came to blows with Mark Geyer in the infamous State of Origin II clash in 1991.

New South Wales were trailing the series by 1-0 and it reportedly led to Geyer being let off the leash by Blues officials, with no repercussion to be handed down. Geyer proceeded to lay into the Maroons during the first half.

But Queensland weren't backing down. An all-in brawl broke out at the start of halftime. It led to Geyer standing face-to-face with Maroons legend Wally Lewis in the pouring rain, creating one of the most iconic images in Origin history.

Yet the camera did not capture the following mayhem during the halftime break. Lowe saw red over Geyer's reckless play and confronted him. Lowe, in a moment of 'instanity', was prepared to get physical.

"It hasn't come out that much but going up the tunnel on the way to the dressing rooms it almost broke out again," Lowe told NRL.com.

"I found myself in a massive shouting match with Mark outside the dressing room.

"That was truly as close as it came to an all-in brawl."

Lowe revealed that Geyer had wound himself up and nearly took a swing at him before Lewis came to his aid.

"Only Wally's coolness under pressure and experience stopped that. I remember Wally grabbing me by the coat collar and dragging me back into the dressing room," Lowe said.

"He was the mediator then because I was saying things in that tunnel, questioning Mark's sanity, and doing things that I'd never come close to in my career.

"I was shaping up like I could go a few rounds with Mark Geyer, and so was he, and he did wind up at one point but thankfully missed his swing. That's the definition of insanity from me."

Lowe took aim at Geyer during the post-match press conference, calling him a "lunatic". Lowe regretted that label, revealing he actually loved Geyer's aggressive style and labelled him as "my style of player".

New South Wales won the match, 14-12, to level the series. However, it turned out to be Geyer's last Origin match after being suspended for three weeks for elbowing rookie Maroons' fullback Paul Hauff.

Queensland had the last laugh in the end, winning the decided in Brisbane by the same scoreline.