After wilting in the Suncorp Stadium cauldron, NSW hooker Damien Cook says the Blues are relishing the chance to get over to Perth's neutral soil.
Queensland overturned a halftime deficit to upset the Blues 18-14 in Brisbane on Wednesday night, but Cook insists the State of Origin series is very much alive and if it weren't for a series of sliding door moments, NSW could be the ones with a 1-0 lead.
He admitted Queensland were a better side on home soil, pointing to their recent dominance which has seen them lose there just twice since 2009, and that the return clash at Optus Stadium on June 23 would give NSW every chance to send the series to a decider in Sydney.
"I'd like to think both sides are better at their home grounds," Cook said.
"Queensland has had that reputation up there. I can only speak on my behalf, the last two games I've played against them (at Suncorp Stadium) I've lost, so I'd say they probably are (better at home)."
He denied the series was a foregone conclusion, pointing to the fact they lost at Suncorp Stadium last year but still lifted the trophy.
"It was a tough way to lose, we wanted to go up there and get the job done," Cook said.
"To Queensland's credit, they played the full 80 and they took their moments.
"We lost the game at Suncorp last year and ... it was a motivating factor to go up there and win. For a lot of us it would have been our first win up there.
"But that's why it's a three-game series. We want to make sure we get the job done in Perth."
Cook and fullback James Tedesco looked ominous in the first-half, as the Blues shot out to an 8-0 halftime lead and were threatening to tear open Queensland like they did in the corresponding match last year.
He said despite the loss, they still took a lot of confidence out of it, insisting it came down to a series of small moments which went the Maroons' way.
"We had a bit of joy and they obviously went and spoke about it at halftime," Cook said.
"To Queensland's credit about 50 minutes in, they really turned it on, their line-speed was on-point.
"We found it really hard to get out of our end and in Origin it's a field position game, it comes down to small moments and last night they did that."
