Big brother James Maloney will be watching over Mitchell Pearce in Origin I

MATTY Johns reckons the arrival of rookie NSW five-eighth James Maloney will allow Mitchell Pearce to finally come of age as an Origin player.

MATTY Johns calls James Maloney "the big brother" - and reckons the arrival of the rookie NSW five-eighth will tonight allow Mitchell Pearce to finally come of age as an Origin player.

Tonight will be Pearce's 10th appearance for NSW and his ninth consecutive game wearing the Blues' No.7 jumper.

No player since Peter Sterling has played as many games in a row as NSW halfback, not even Andrew Johns or Ricky Stuart.

However, Queensland champion Darren Lockyer yesterday expressed his surprise that Daley had gambled on Maloney ahead of Todd Carney.

History is on Lockyer's side - given no player in his first Origin game for the Blues playing five-eighth has ever walked off the field as a winner.

But Johns has not only backed Maloney's inclusion but thinks this will be the year the much-maligned Pearce stands tall as an Origin player."I don't think Maloney is a gamble at all," Johns said. "I think Maloney by nature is very organised and one of the reasons why it has all come together for Mitchell this year.

"Maloney has almost been like a big brother for him.

"I can see there will be different times during the game where Mitchell will call the shots, then all of a sudden Maloney will take over and steady the ship.

"That is another important thing when playing in the halves. Having that combination is so crucial.

"Watching Johnathan Thurston at the Cowboys this year and the weight of being a one-man band has really affected his form.

"At Manly if Daly Cherry-Evans has an off night, Kieran Foran steps up. Or if Kieran is off, Daly steps up. You know what I mean?

"That is what Maloney brings to the table. A real steady head."

And a kicking game that relieves pressure on Pearce.

One of the big criticisms of the Pearce-Carney combination last year was their failure to build pressure on Queensland by forcing repeat sets via goal-line drops.

All up in the series, the Blues managed just five repeat sets - and of those Pearce only managed one and Carney none.

As Johns explained: "That was one of the things that really hurt us last year.

"Straight away you are under the gun. It places you in a very difficult position to win a football game. The fact we got so close is a minor miracle.

"But one thing Maloney does very well is kick and he has a very steady head.

"So if Maloney can hold up his defensive end, which he will, he will put the polish on the end of the sets and he will have done his job."

As for Pearce, Johns is convinced he is ready to repay Daley's faith with his best Origin series.

"I think everything has come together for Mitchell this year," Johns said. "I think (Roosters coach) Trent Robinson has had a huge impact on him.

"When you play in the halves, one of the most important things you can have is an organised mind.

"So when everything is going crazy around you, you have to know what you want to be doing.

"There has always been this erratic side to Mitchell. You watch the Roosters with the ball over the last couple of years and they were naturally erratic.

"There wasn't a lot of structure to what they were trying to do.

"This year the style Robinson has brought with him is much more measured. There is a real focus on defence and part of that mindset is not being frivolous with the ball.

"That has just worked so well for Mitchell because it has allowed him to find his niche and he is comfortable in what he is trying to do.

"Then the third piece of the puzzle was Laurie coming out early doors and saying, 'You are my halfback'.

"It allowed Mitchell to settle into what he was doing at the Roosters and just be comfortable. He wasn't going out trying to play nine or 10-out-of-10 games to prove himself.

"The fact that Laurie came out and said, 'You're my man, don't worry about it', it has allowed Mitchell to play steady football and it has been no coincidence he has since been able to find his best football."