History is kind to the future of NSW.
Armed with the most rookies in State of Origin history, the Blues will run out onto the MCG on Wednesday night with a record 11 debutants in their squad.
Of the seven teams to have debuted eight or more players in one game in State of Origin, four have won.
Two of the losers also took it to the wire.
NSW had eight new players in both 1995 - against an even less experienced Queensland - and lost by two, while in 1999 nine Blues debutants went down to a field goal.
Only the Blues of 1989 - who had eight rookies - have imploded under pressure, thumped 36-6.
"Sometimes it's easier to go in when there are a lot of new faces," Ryan Girdler, who was one of the 1999 debutants, said.
"I remember going into my first Australian side and there wasn't a lot of debutants. You can sort of fall into the background, you don't feel like part of the group.
"With 11 new faces and the other guys only being at the start of their Origin careers, I think it will be a good thing for integration."
The challenge though comes in terms of experience.
When Girdler debuted in 1999, he had the likes of Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley in his side for guidance and calming.
In comparison, Fittler's Blues don't have a player with more than 10 Origins under their belt
"The fact the players don't have that to fall back on will be a bit of a concern," Girdler said.
"With so many debutants not knowing what to expect they're going to have to make sure they're in the contest and in the game.
"Even though Queensland have a different side they've still got a lot more experience and senior players who have played 30 games.
"GI (Greg Inglis) and (Will) Chambers will be able to provide that guidance to younger players."
Girdler was part of one of the great Origin attacking sides alongside Fittler in 2000, when they piled on a record 104 points.
But the former Blues centre warned Fittler's men they couldn't just take an all-out attack approach into Wednesday.
"You've got to earn the right in Origin," Triple M's Girdler, who will call the game live from the MCG, said.
"They would be crazy to go there and try and play sideline to sideline without trying to bust them through the middle.
"Because I personally think our forward pack is a dominant forward pack, and I think we would be silly not to try and go through the middle and then try to use those guys on the edges once we've got momentum."
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