Senator tackled over NRL motion

The federal upper house can sometimes resemble a sporting field, especially when members tackle the emotive issue of football.

Two Queensland senators butted heads on Tuesday when they tried separately to congratulate the North Queensland Cowboys and their co-captain Johnathan Thurston on their NRL grand final win.

Ian Macdonald was miffed when independent senator Glenn Lazarus - a former rugby league great known as the Brick With Eyes - proposed a motion similar to his acknowledgement of the team's achievement.

The Lazarus motion also called on the federal government to consider funding a sporting venue in Townsville for future footy games, something sought by the Labor state government.

Senator Macdonald said the inclusion of the funding made the motion about politics.

But his main dig was that Senator Lazarus had played for New South Wales, not Queensland, in State of Origin.

Senator Macdonald complained the Brick With Eyes had "actively supported" teams that played against his Cowboys.

"But it is tremendous that even the opponents are supporting the North Queensland Cowboys," Senator Macdonald conceded during a statement to the upper house.

Senator Lazarus took issue with the comments, declaring: "What relevance does that have, honestly?"

Senator Macdonald later withdrew one comment on the grounds Senator Lazarus was going to "go away and cry".