NSW can feel confident for series-decider

DRIVEN by the hurt and anguish they have felt in the past three weeks, the Blues will be ready to right the wrongs tonight in Brisbane.

I think it’s the first time in such a long time that the Blues have looked the better side for the majority of the series.

Again the juggernaut that is Queensland just found a way in that second game. The Maroons know how to win games.

We saw that unravel in the space of 20 minutes in Sydney in front of about 80,000 NSW supporters.

After 40 minutes I thought “wow, that first game wasn’t a fluke, we really have turned the tide”.

And then, sure enough, Queensland turned the screws and said, “there’s a series on your hands here”.

It’s all set up for a blockbuster, an absolute belter at Suncorp Stadium tonight.

For NSW, it’s not about dwelling on the things you didn’t do well.

Yes, they need to address that. But I think the players in the days after that loss reflected and realised where it all went wrong for them.

They would draw so much confidence from that opening 50 minutes of game two.

And what would excite them even more is that their best 80-minute performance was at Suncorp.

There’s been a lot of talk out of the Blues camp about how happy they were to be going back into camp at Kingscliff – a nice little sleepy part of the world.

NSW has been very fortunate to keep its same team on the park. The players are all in their groove now, accustomed and ready to go.

It’s almost a role reversal. I remember the Origins I played in we just had changes after changes. The Queensland