Video Special: Wall of Honour

THE men charged with leading the Blues into battle over the past three decades reveal what it means to them to captain our great state in Origin.

TONIGHT promises to be one of the biggest in the history of State of Origin. To mark the occasion, NSW captains past and present told The Daily Telegraph of the honour that comes with leading your state on the greatest stage of all.

Click here to watch our interactive Blues Wall of Honour video as 15 Blues captains - and Mat Rogers speaking on behalf of his late father Steve - reveal the burning desire behind the Blue jersey.

KURT GIDLEY

The brotherhood of NSW is really tight, especially over the last couple of years. Ricky Stuart is really trying to instil that amongst the players by bringing plenty of former Blues players back into camp. I enjoyed having those guys around in camp, listening to their stories. I think Sticky is doing a great job of that. My greatest memory of Origin is every series, but more so leading the team out on to the field in a Sydney game. 90,000 people cheering for you and cheering for the Blues. To lead a team out on to the field with that support behind you is a great thrill. My advice for the current players is enjoy it. Do your family and your fans proud.

MAX KRILICH

It doesn’t matter how many champions Qld have. It’s 13 versus 13 and anything can happen. A champion team will always beat a team of champions. I reckon we went very close to proving that in game I.

STEVE MORTIMER

My advice for players is to forget what club you came from, leave your egos at the door and get to know your teammates. Once you do that, you start to care for each other, you start to trust each other.

STEVE ROGERS

(As told by his son Mat) I know throughout his career he didn’t keep many jerseys, but one of the few he did keep was his NSW State of Origin captaincy jersey. It obviously meant a lot to him.

GAVIN MILLER

Playing Origin was an enormously proud thing for me. When I got told, I immediately went down and got on the phone and told my father and I’ve got to be honest, he started crying on the phone.

TOM RAUDONIKIS

I remember coaching one game up at Lang Park, and I don’t care what they say, I loved playing at the Cauldron. Because I loved when everybody used to yell out and abuse us. That’s what Origin is.

WAYNE PEARCE

There’s a lot at stake in terms of the outcome of the match, but even more so in terms of your reputation and your ability to prove yourself. I know that NSW players stick together. There’s a bond there, a brotherhood.

ANDREW JOHNS

I grew up watching Wally Lewis hammer NSW and it burnt me and it still burns me today. When people say it means more to Queensland it really gets under my skin, it really, really bugs me.

Blog: Join us from 10am till kick-off to talk all things Origin

Video: Hoops and Kenty preview Origin II

Video: NSW captains past and present explain what it means to lead the Blues

Origin special section: Keep up to date with all the news

Click here for Boo Bailey's bios of the NSW team

BEN ELIAS

For a player to do what he does week in week out, if he can take that on to the field and go that extra 10 per cent, we’ll come away as victors. If they do that and aren’t overawed by the occasion, we’ll win.

DANNY BUDERUS

Your nerves are a good thing. You learn very quickly that the circus that goes along with Origin is mental, just crazy. Narrow your focus and just focus on the little things that win games. Where am I? Who’s got the ball? And what’s my job? They were the three things I stood by during my Origin career. I had a great coach there in Phil Gould and the passion
he instilled in me, I want to pass that down to everyone else.

PAUL GALLEN

The most important thing now is one day being able to hold that trophy up. Probably the biggest struggle for me, and I think a lot of young guys, is the week leading up to the games. There’s a lot of pressure, there is a lot of media hype. That’s something a lot of young players struggle with and I think by the time you get to game day you can be a little bit flat. Now that we’re used to it and we know how it works, preparation comes a little easier. It all adds up, especially if you get the nerves on game day. The nerves were always there, but at the end of the day it’s just a game of footy and that’s what I kept telling myself early in my Origin career and I think that’s how I got through it.

TRENT BARRETT

We’ve been through a pretty tough patch over the last six years and now we’ve got an opportunity to turn it all around. We are just as passionate as the Queenslanders. They like to talk about it and they like to think Origin is all about them, but it isn’t. For these players today, these next six weeks of their lives is all about Origin.

BRAD FITTLER

The thing about Origin is it is so intense that if you’re not ready before the game, you could miss it. So be ready before the game, be ready five minutes before the game and make sure you’re ready for kick-off.

RAY PRICE

If they want to win this game, it’s up to them to find a way. And that’s determination and strong, hard defence. If they come up with that, I guarantee you they will win the game.

LAURIE DALEY

The only advice I can give is to go out there and enjoy themselves. They’ve done the preparation. It is a step up in intensity and speed, but have the confidence to know you can make a difference.

GEOFF TOOVEY

The game goes by so quickly it all happens in a blur. The toughest thing to deal with is losing. If you lose one game you have to wait three weeks to play again. If you lose a series you have to wait a whole year.

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