Matthew Johns: The five Queensland giants NSW coach Laurie Daley must fell

NSW coach Laurie Daley has to figure out how to minimise the influence of Queensland's key men - the five best players on the planet.

IT may have taken Laurie Daley the full year he had available to finally decide upon the NSW side he wanted, but right now he is in the midst of the greatest challenge of his time in rugby league.

In one week, assemble his men and come up with the right formula and belief to end a run of dominance that is only bettered by the great St George sides of the 1950s and '60s.

And at the forefront of coach Daley's mind will be figuring out how to minimise the influence of Queensland's key men - who just happen to be the five best rugby league players on the planet.

CAMERON SMITH

I believe Cameron Smith is the greatest big-game player of the modern era. His record at club, state and international level is phenomenal.

Of the seven series in a row Queensland have won, I thought last year was without doubt their poorest, as far as outright performance is concerned. Cameron Smith got them the series win.

When Queensland were under pressure and on the back foot, it was Smith's composure and kicking game that kept them in contests.

While the likes of Inglis, Slater, Thurston and Cronk will pick and choose moments to force their influence on the contest, Smith just relentlessly chips away.

If Cam Smith has a poor series, NSW win 3-0. But realistically, how many poor games does this bloke play?

The Blues must minimise Smith's influence by dominating the Maroons' pack and having an aggressive, rather than a passive marker defence.

GREG INGLIS

Thank goodness he's not playing fullback. With Inglis at left centre, NSW have a strong say in controlling his impact.

Inglis is one of the most damaging ball returners of all time and not having him in this role is a massive bonus. I actually think Inglis would be a greater headache for the Blues if he was selected on the wing, which would allow him to drop back and work in tandem with Billy Slater on kick returns - a scary thought.

The time and space NSW give Queensland halves Cronk and Thurston will be a huge factor in what sort of impact Inglis has on this series.

Greg Inglis

If Inglis doesn't get early clean ball, we won't see the Greg Inglis who has blitzed and bludgeoned NRL defences in the past 12 months.

JOHNATHAN THURSTON

Started the year in career-best form, which had some people suspecting the Cowboys could be headed for a title year.

But the North Queenslanders and the form of their key playmaker have fallen away substantially in the past month. Much of that can be attributed to Johnathan Thurston continuing to bear far too much of the creative load at club level, and it looks to be affecting his confidence at the minute.

Johnathan Thurston

By the same token, we've seen JT enter Origin series playing less than his best before, only to explode once he hits the big stage.

Thurston will operate on the left-hand side of the field and given the established combination of Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, we may see JT play second fiddle to the Storm No. 7, who will call the shots on the right. Thurston represents a huge running threat in this series with Cronk more inclined to be creative by pass.

COOPER CRONK

Finds a way to get better each year. Cooper is rugby league's most disciplined and most dedicated player. His strength is his organised mind, his relentless preparation has him ready to call the shots, find the right options, perform the right kicks at the right time, etc. But his organised mind can also be his weakness.

Thurston lacks Cooper's organised mind, Cronk lacks Thurston's flexibility. If Plan A doesn't work for JT, he'll go to Plan B or maybe Plan C.

Whereas Cooper will still try to impose Plan A on a game and is less inclined to venture away.

Cooper Cronk

He's improved in this area, but he's as stubborn as a mule.

If the Blues can find the right defensive answers for his attacking plays, it will test Cooper's ability to stay cool and composed.

BILLY SLATER

No player has been as freakishly good for as long a time as Billy Slater. His consistency is as impressive as his talent.

Billy will sit right behind the play-the-ball all series and act as the eyes for his ball players.

He looks for the tired and the vulnerable and then reacts.

A highly underrated ball player himself, Slater will do a little bit of everything in attack.

Billy Slater

I have noticed, though, that Billy seems to be carrying a knee injury and how serious it is, I'm not sure. However, there have been moments in the past month when Slater seemed more content to concede to a defender, rather than explode past him.

Nonetheless, he's a future Immortal and a man who will no doubt have an influence on this Origin series - we just hope that it's minimal.