History lessons in the NSW camp could give them an edge on Wednesday night as they look to win their first State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium in 15 years.
Assistant coach Danny Buderus was the last captain to lead the Blues to victory at the hostile Queensland venue, while Paul Sironen was involved in the 1994 series win.
Both have spoken to the NSW squad to give fair warning in the lead up to game three in which the Maroons are aiming to win their fifth-straight series when hosting a decider in Brisbane.
“They know the history, they know the players that were playing then and the circumstances but it’s all about making their own history,” coach Brad Fittler said on Tuesday.
“There’s an opportunity to make it a really memorable occasion or it can pass them by.”
Despite winning the past two series, the Blues have not been able to break Queensland’s dominance at Suncorp Stadium, losing the past four deciders at the ground since 2005.
The Maroons have dominated game three when a series is on the line – winning 13 to the Blues’ five, with two draws.
With Queensland expecting star five-eighth Cameron Munster to clear concussion protocols to play, shades of the 2017 series have been amplified.
This is the first time since that year the Blues have kept the same 1-17 for consecutive games.
In 2017, Queensland made big changes after Darius Boyd broke his thumb and Johnathan Thurston suffered a shoulder injury in game two and was ruled out for the decider.
But in came Munster, who shredded the NSW defence on debut for a 22-6 win and the Blues went home empty handed in yet another Suncorp ambush.
It was Queensland’s eighth victory in a decider at the venue and their fourth in a row, with NSW winning just two – in 1994 and 2005.
The lessons from the series loss three years ago lie with James Tedesco and Tyson Frizell – the only NSW players to remain from that series, while it was the last game in charge for then-coach Laurie Daley.
Fittler started the following year, vowing to change the culture of the team – winning the past two series, including a decider in Sydney last year.
But to win game three with the series on the line in front of 50,000 screaming Queenslanders for just the third time in history?
That would confirm the new era of dominance for the Blues.
And for Fittler, that’s an ‘amazing challenge’.
“They’re a better side than we played last year as well,” he said.
“We have a lot of respect for this team at the moment and in Origin, if you look through the history, there’s always reactions.
“Whoever loses normally always comes out and plays better.
“We need to react good to the win.”