NSW players have been urged to approach Origin III like a grand final as they set out to spoil Queensland’s celebrations when they receive the Shield at Wednesday night’s post-match presentation.
The Blues may have lost the series, but coach Brad Fittler insists his players will not lack for motivation to stop a 3-0 clean-sweep by the Maroons as they still have the honour of representing NSW before their home fans at Accor Stadium.
“Not everyone gets to do that,” Fittler said. “I think we are up to 310 players in the history of State of Origin, so we’re talking about a real limited amount of people that actually get to play for New South Wales.
“There is an Origin series, and we don’t have a chance to win that, but they have a chance to play for NSW in front of a home crowd and they need a good game.”
Debutants Bradman Best and Keaon Koloamatangi will become the 309th and 310th players to pull on a Blues jersey at Origin level and Fittler said it will be a big occasion for the pair.
Of the 308 players to have previously represented NSW in Origin since 1980, 84 managed just one appearance.
“Call it what you like, but 310 people have done that – and that’s not many,” Fittler said.
The Blues squad, which includes seven new faces, watched footage from the 32-6 defeat in Origin II at Suncorp Stadium on June 21 as Fittler and his coaching staff outlined areas they needed to improve.
However, Fittler and NSW team advisor Greg Alexander said the Blues were approaching Origin III as a stand-alone fixture and were determined to prevent Queensland achieving the first series whitewash since 2010.
“Origin is different,” Alexander said. “It’s not a club game where your team has won four games, it is the backend of the season and you are no chance of making the finals series. It is completely different.
“Origin is three grand finals and it doesn’t matter whether it is a decider or Game I, it’s important because it’s another grand final.”
“We can’t win the series, but we can atone for what’s happened. It’s as important as what Game I was or Game II – and it’s at home.”
Asked if the Blues wanted to ensure the Maroons were presented with the Origin Shield after a loss, Alexander said: “Why not”.
After scoring three tries in their series opening 26-18 loss at Adelaide Oval and just one in Origin II at Suncorp Stadium, Alexander said the Blues coaching staff had identified areas of the game the team needed to significantly improve.
“We had a quick review of Game II and there were some aspects that I think none of us were really happy with what happened,” Alexander said.
“It was just highlighting a few areas that we thought we could improve drastically in Game III. They were just little things bit lots of little things add up to a big thing and generally that can add up to a win.”
The Blues trained on Friday behind closed doors as media were kicked out and the fence around the NSWRL Centre of Excellence was wrapped in black matting, but officials insisted the measure had nothing to do with fears of spying.
A number of teams in the FIFA Women’s World Cup are set to use the venue for training from next week and it is a requirement of the tournament that they are able to conduct their sessions in private.
The NSW team will also use the field for their pre-match warm-up before entering Accor Stadium next Wednesday night via a tunnel under the road that was constructed for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Source: NRL.com