Brad Fittler's Baby Blues say the 2018 State of Origin series win can be the start of something special, with their youth and close bond suggesting they can stay together and improve for at least five years.
Sunday night's 18-14 game II win at ANZ Stadium put some demons to bed as NSW came back from 0-10 down the clinch the title - the sort of feat more commonly associated with Queensland.
It also provided a glimpse into the future with the Blues fielding one of the youngest teams on record at an average age of 25.
Having blooded 12 rookies this series alone and with James Maloney and Matt Prior the only players older than 30, NSW have a younger team now than when the Maroons started their record-breaking run in 2006.
In comparison, Queensland have strike weapon Billy Slater set to join Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston in representative retirement next season and question marks hang over a number of their key positions.
With the boot now firmly on the other foot, the Blues are dreaming of the same kind of consistency the Maroons enjoyed between 2007 and 2016 when they brought 42 less players than NSW into the Origin arena.
"This playing group can stay together for five to 10 years," fullback James Tedesco said.
"This is a big opportunity for us. It's a good start for us as a team and hopefully we can do it for more years in the future."
Selected on character and form, the Blues knitted tightly together under rookie Origin coach Fittler with his no-phones, no-fools policy and relaxed nature.
Their combinations on the field should contibue to blossom.
Halves Maloney and Nathan Cleary are in their first season together at Penrith and, while veteran Maloney took the dominant role in the opening two Origin games, it's inevitable he'll hand that over to the young No.7 in coming years.
Damien Cook looks a long-term solution at No.9 while Tedesco still has years ahead of him at fullback behind a youthful NSW forward pack that has delivered.
Fittler laid down the challenge to his players to maintain their Origin form at club level to ensure the Blues' success can continue.
"Queensland have set an unbelievable standard for a long time about playing for your state and going back and playing for your club and keeping the standard high," Fittler said.
"That's the one thing we need to do to keep the quality of our team going forward. It's the only way we're going to improve."
Sunday's comeback win from 10 points down brought the Blues full circle, marking their biggest revival since the opening game of the 2006 series.
For so often since it had been Queensland who pulled something out of the fire, and players admitted having flashbacks to those moments when Blues centre James Roberts was sin-binned late.
But with that now history, the Blues are desperate to go to Brisbane and make a statement in next month's dead rubber by claiming NSW's first series clean sweep in 18 years .
"We're happy to win the series but 3-0 would really make a statement for the future," Tedesco said.
"Obviously it's a new era, new coach and new players.
"It'd be massive for us."
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