NSW Blues' Origin opener out of Maroons' playbook

IT was a Queensland play that got NSW off the mark when Jarryd Hayne crashed over in the opening minutes of the first half.

IT was a Queensland play that got NSW off the mark when Jarryd Hayne crashed over in the opening minutes of the first half.

After a smart inside ball from second-rower Luke Lewis, Hayne found his way past several Maroons defenders and then stretched out to score.

"We did it at training, mimicking Queensland for our defence and we just thought we'd throw it into our attack," Hayne said.

History is with NSW ending the seven-year hoodoo, with 23 of 31 series ultimately being won by whoever takes out the opener.

Blues lock Greg Bird said a strong start was vital.

"It has been quite a relaxed week but we always wanted to build up to that first half because we know how dominant they can be if they get some momentum," Bird said.

"We looked at last year's games and tried to repeat what worked last year."

Bird said NSW were looking forward to the challenge at Suncorp Stadium.

"We are not getting ahead of ourselves. It's 1-0 and we have a big job to do," he said.

Blues rookie Andrew Fifita celebrated the win on the sideline with his young son, niece and nephew.

"It's the first time I've seen the three of them together. I just wanted to prove to my whole family that I could play Origin," he said.