No pressure Mitchell Pearce but it's now or never.
Former Blues greats agree halfback Pearce holds NSW's hopes in his hands in Brisbane on Wednesday when he attempts to steer the team to a State of Origin series win for the first time after coming up short in six previous series.
Three years after jumping off Pearce's Origin bandwagon, former NSW captain and halfback Steve Mortimer is calling on him to show his mettle when it counts most late in the game by running the ball to the line and also kicking accurately.
"At the back end of game two, he stopped probing the defence, and his kicks have to be better. The kicks where they went, there was no pressure on them," Mortimer told AAP.
"I've never been a Mitchell Pearce fan but I think this has been his best year playing for the (Sydney) Roosters, and that's because I've seen him taking the ball to the line more often."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"He's changed my mind on him."
Phil Gould, the most-successful NSW coach in Origin history, predicts Pearce will be named man-of-the-match in a Blues win.
"He's going to be the focal point and, whether he likes it or not, he knows what's coming," Gould said in his 'Six Tackles With Gus' podcast.
"Win, lose or draw after this game, there's going to be plenty of comment about Mitchell.
"It's a point in Mitchell Pearce's career where he needs to have this on his resume. He needs to break the ice here and get this win."
NSW halfback great Peter Sterling put the onus on Pearce and halves partner James Maloney to step up in the clutch period late in the game.
Sterling said the team's late collapse in game two in Sydney was a critical lesson for the halves.
"If we start to lose our way a little bit or things aren't going the way we want them to be going, it's up to both him and Jimmy Maloney," Sterling said on Triple M's Dead Set Legends.
"They're the ones that play in the six and seven jersey - their voices are really important in those moments. It was a lesson learnt from game two.
"Our playmakers need to be more vocal, more confident, clear in their calls and get everybody on the right track."
