Footy fans slam famous singer who's performing at State of Origin decider - 24 hours before he even starts his set
Cox, 30, is best known for his song Give Me Tonight, which has been streamed more than 12 million times on Spotify.
Performing in front of 80,000-plus supporters at Accor Stadium will be a career highlight for the performer from Jindabyne, NSW - but some bemused fans felt the NRL missed the mark.
'Is this random the best the NRL can do? He doesn't even have a picture on his Wikipedia page,' one bluntly posted in response to the announcement.
'Surely you could've done better?' asked another.
'Ahh yes the famous Brad Cox,' added a third, sarcastically.
Popular footy page NRL Silverback slammed the decision and pointed to Cox's Wikipedia entry as proof he shouldn't have been picked (pictured)
Footy fans were scathing (pictured) following the announcement that Cox will lead the pre-game entertainment on Wednesday night
Cox burst onto the Australian country music scene in 2018 with his self-titled debut album, earning two coveted Golden Guitar nominations.
He has also promised a 'high-energy' performance.
'We are there to get fans fired up for a big game of footy, so we'll be playing accordingly,' Cox told News Corp.
'I reckon we are going to start a trend. NRL and country music go hand-in-hand, I think we'll be the first of many.'
Meanwhile, both teams aren't expected to make any late selection changes, as the Blues look to go back-to-back after winning the 2024 series.
In an ominous statistic, no Queensland team dating back 45 years has lost the first game and then gone on to win the next two games away from home.
Queensland coach Billy Slater has confirmed Cameron Munster will play, despite the five-eighth leaving camp to be with his family following the sudden death of his father Steven on Sunday.
Daily Mail Australia will have a live blog to follow all the action online, with TV coverage on Channel Nine from 7pm.
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