NSW coach Laurie Daley has admitted to pre-game jitters and doesn't know if his side will turn up or go belly-up on Wednesday night.
The Blues finalised preparations for State of Origin I on the Gold Coast on Tuesday, and while Daley couldn't fault their efforts in camp he still didn't know what to expect from his charges.
His side have right to feel confident with the Maroons depleted by injuries to key players such as Johnathan Thurston but there is a part of Daley which is wary.
The NSW mentor still has fresh in his mind their 52-6 belting in the 2015 series decider at Suncorp Stadium, a game which is stopping him from being complacent.
"In 2015 in game three I thought we had our best prep ever and I was as confident as I've ever been going into an Origin game," Daley said.
"But after that game I was shell-shocked.
"I can't pick it."
While NSW have managed just one win over the previous 11 years, the series has remained a remarkably close contest.
In nine of their 10 losing series during that period, they have lost games by six points or less.
Had the Blues found that extra something in the key moments, their legacies would be viewed very differently.
Daley said he expected game one to come down to one clutch play and he had prepared his side as best he could to take advantage of that.
"Being able to nail the critical moments, that's what we've got to be better at," Daley said.
"We haven't quite nailed it over the last couple of years. We've got to be better at it and I'm sure we will be."
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