With State of Origin II set to kick off at the MCG, ESPN's Boom Rookies with Grub welcomed former New South Wales halfback Trent Hodkinson to join his partner from the 2014 winning series, Josh Reynolds, to discuss Wednesday night's game.
Both former Blues were present at New South Wales training during the week and had a first-hand look at the preparations. They noticed that the players definitely lifted their intensity from the beginning of the session, something they hoped would reverse a recent trend of starting Origin games on the back foot.
"Definitely that would be their focus, to start fast in this one, we all saw what happened last game, the errors and the slow start they had," Hodkinson said.
They also noticed that Mark Nawaqanitawase made his presence known at training and they expect big things from the Roosters' star winger on debut for the Blues.
"Marky Mark slotted in nicely, he's a big body, he's going to be a great target on the wing, it's exciting to see," Hodkinson said.
"Yeah, he's not as fast as the Hammer, but he comes up with those plays where you go; 'how?' Even on the weekend when he played Canberra, three of them were coming at him in a scramble, he did a little goosie [goose step] and not many players can do that and I think that's what we are all excited about," added Reynolds.
"We all know how good he is in attack, but defensively, he can get caught out every now and then, so I suppose that is what he is going to be focused on come Wednesday night."
Hodkinson agreed that his efforts in defence will be key on the big stage, but emphasised that his ability to create miracle plays could be the turning point in what should be a tight contest.
"In these Origin games it comes down to defensive decisions and centres and wingers are the two of the toughest in that regard," Hodkinson said.
"But, he is going to be huge for them, he is an X factor, he can create something out of nothing and that's what the Blues need, that's what it comes down to, moments like that in Origin where you just need a player to step up and do something out of the ordinary and I think Mark can do that."
The veteran pair also addressed the lingering doubts over the fitness of Mitchell Moses and agreed that his kicking game will be most valuable for the Blues, after Nathan Cleary was left to do the majority of the work with the boot in Game I.
"You can see he is a little bit frustrated by the whole situation, but he is fine. He is right to go. He will be super important for them, he has that big kicking boot which I think is so important in the Origin arena," Hodkinson said.
"He will do most of the long kicking, I think, and Nathan will focus on the good ball and putting it on for points. He looked fine, he didn't look out of place, he was taking on the line and his combination with Hudson Young on the edge looked great,"
"The big difference with Mitch and his appointment is that he is another genuine big-booted kicker, as another option for Queensland to guess which side of the ruck the kick is going to come from. Robson at hooker -- not a known kicker, Tedesco -- not a known kicker and when Strange was there as well -- not a known kicker, so a lot of the responsibility was on Nathan. So I think it will just free him up as well," Hodkinson continued.
"And you know how important in Origin that field position is, he will be huge for them right across the field, but especially on that last tackle."