NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley says there's plenty of pride and passion in the Blues camp

NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley wants the whole state cheering for the men in blue tonight just like his dad cheered for him.

NOT long after I got the job to coach NSW, I caught up with Ricky Stuart for a chat. Ricky and I have been great mates since our days playing together at Canberra and, given I was taking over the NSW job from him, we sat down to talk about football - and Origin in particular.

During the chat, Ricky mentioned how proud my dad would be to see me coaching my state.

It really caught me by surprise and I found it hard to respond.

Dad passed away three years ago in April. Not a day goes by when I don't think about him and some

of the times we shared together. Good times. For old Lance and me, many of those great memories related to footy.

A lot of people say rugby league is just a game and, in many ways, it is. But it is also the fabric that binds us as a family, a society and a state.

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When I start thinking about the challenge of beating this great Queensland team, I can't help but recall the proud history NSW have in State of Origin.

It reminds me of what Origin means to so many people, fans just like my dad.

Old Lance worked on the trains for 46 years and used to drive the XPT from Junee to Sydney and Melbourne. But his pastime was going to the footy. He used to love sitting on the hill in Canberra with Ricky's old man and his mates, having a beer and cheering us on.

Lance and his mates would even travel up to watch us play Origin games in Sydney. They loved it. I remember one night we were playing in driving rain. I got injured early, but Dad and his mates stayed right until the final siren, then caught the train back to Junee soaking wet.

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It was 1991, when Michael O'Connor kicked that famous sideline conversion to win the game for NSW. To this day, it remains one of the state's proudest Origin moments. It's special to me because it was shared with my dad.

I'm so proud of my family - Dad, of course, but also my seven sisters.

We play rugby league for our loved ones and we play for the fans who will be wearing their blue wigs at ANZ Stadium tonight. That's why it's so much more than a game.

Yes, I grew up in a house with seven sisters and people always like to remind me how they would put dresses on me and make-up.

It's all true.

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But what I remember most was that I also had eight cousins living next door, six boys and two girls - 16 kids in two houses - and we had plenty of backyard games of footy. Back then, playing for NSW in State of Origin was always my ultimate dream.

I was 10 when the very first Origin game was played in 1980, but my favourite memory growing up was 1985, when Steve "Turvey" Mortimer captained the Blues to our first series victory.

Turvey slumping to his knees, kissing the mud at the SCG when the series was wrapped up, showed how much it meant.

Queenslanders like to think they have a mortgage on Origin passion, but when I was a youngster in Junee, I can tell you, all the kids I knew always had plenty of pride in the Blues.

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As a player, I was lucky enough to achieve so many career highlights.

I captained my state and country and also played in three grand final-winning teams for the Raiders, but coaching NSW is right up there with the greatest honours I've ever had.

Tonight, though, is not about me. It's about the players and it's about you, all of our Blues fans.

The players have done everything in their power to make sure they are ready to go come kick-off tonight.

I have purposely tried throughout the build-up to keep things as calm as possible because I didn't want the players getting worked up too early, and that's how I plan to go about today.

We'll have a relaxing morning.

After breakfast we'll go for a walk together, but the main thing I want is to give the players enough space and time so they can prepare themselves for the job they need to do against Queensland.

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I know all coaches like to do things their own way and I've been around long enough to know there is really not a right or wrong way to get a team ready for a game like this. What works for some doesn't work for others, and it's the same with players.

But my view on this is that if I can stay calm and in control, that will give the individuals the best chance for them to prepare the way they know works for them.

Someone asked the other day if we believe in ourselves.

I reckon a few years back that was a problem for NSW, but not any more.

And it's perhaps the most important thing of all when you get to high-intensity games like this. If you believe in something strongly enough, then anything is possible.

For us tonight, it's a matter of hanging in and playing tough and competing for everything for every minute and moment of the match.

If we do that we will give ourselves every possible chance and that's all you can ask of any player.

We know they are going to have to play well to beat Queensland and I'm confident that is exactly what they will do.

So make sure you cheer for the boys tonight like my old man used to cheer for me.

This is our chance to give something to the state of NSW, it's our chance to build on the Origin traditions laid by the men who went before us.

Whenever anyone tells me NSW lacks Origin passion I only have to think of my dad or look into the eyes of the 17 players who will represent the Blues tonight.

We will be ready.