State of Origin has finally kicked off as Blues prepare for an ambush

NSW are preparing for an ambush as the State of Origin series begins before a house full of rabid Queenslanders in Townsville.

Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and Blues captain James Tedesco at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Picture: Grant Trouville

Finally, Townsville is starting to come alive. The gateway to the Great Barrier Reef has been relatively subdued in recent days but the sense of expectation skyrocketed on Tuesday as the respective sides put the finishing touches on their preparations and the mind games ramped up a notch.

Queensland coach Paul Green completed a rite of passage for Maroons mentors when he claimed underdog status. The Blues responded by suggesting they didn’t listen to anything emanating from Queensland. It wasn’t exactly fire and brimstone, but finally there were some shards of contretemps.

The real fireworks will arrive on Wednesday night as a NSW side still indignant from last year’s series loss run out to a vitriolic reception and make it their mission to send home more than 20,000 Queensland supporters with their tail between their legs.

They are on guard for an ambush. They expect Queensland, hooked on a sugar-hit of emotion, to start fast. Hooker Damien Cook knows the Blues need to match the Maroons or the game could be over inside the opening 20 minutes.

“They like to fly out of the blocks and that’s what they did in game three last year,” Cook said.

“We’ve just got to make sure we start fast. Every team talks about it, but we have to keep the pressure on. We can’t be making silly mistakes and we can’t afford to make silly mistakes or be going down a man.

“We have to be disciplined.”

Discipline has been a key point for both teams this week. The game’s crackdown on high contact continues to be a bone of contention heading into Origin I, prompting Green to suggest the last thing the game needs is to have the game decided by the officiating.

“I think take the hitting in the head piece aside, I think we would hate to see an Origin decided on an innocuous incidental contact with the head,” Green said.

“It is hard enough playing (Origin) with 13. If teams get down to 12 or even 11, it is probably going to go a long way towards deciding the outcome.

“Safety aside, I don’t think you would like to see an Origin or a series decided by a decision like that. It is an awareness thing.

“You have to be extra cautious I suppose if that is the right way to put it. You just have to be a little bit more careful with where you are putting your arms and your tackle technique.

“I think also part of Origin is the collisions and the contact and the aggressive side of it. All legal I am talking about there too.

“I think that is what makes Origin special. So I would hate to see that out of the game.”

Green insists his side remain the outsiders, having had a preparation plagued by injury and illness — centre Dane Gagai trained on Tuesday after overcoming tonsillitis and concerns have eased over Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and AJ Brimson.

Asked whether Queensland were underdogs heading into the season opener at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, Green was unequivocal.

“We are,” he shot back. “Because we’ve had a pretty disrupted prep and on paper they’re a better team than us. In terms of training we haven’t had a full week’s prep with guys in different positions.

“It is what it is. They’re experienced and they know what they have to do come game day. I suppose as part of the challenge from a coaching point of view is how you bring that group together. I’m really happy with where we’re at.”

That drew short shrift from thew NSW camp.

“I don‘t listen to anything Queensland have to say,” centre Latrell Mitchell said.

“Oh definitely, they play mind games. The best fella at is Wayne Bennett but he’s not coaching.”

Mitchell is one of the reasons NSW will head into the game as favourites. The Blues centre is back where he belongs and his teammates are anticipating a confident return from one of the superstars of the game.

Mitchell hasn’t played Origin for two years but he has the potential to be the difference in Origin I.

“This is where he belongs,” Cook said. “Everyone knows how good a player he is and he deserves to be in this arena. You need your best players here. He looks happy and he’ll be ready to go.

“I always expect big things from Latrell because I get to deal with him side-by-side at club level. He seems to deliver a lot of the time there and I’m sure he will tomorrow night.”