NSW vice-captain Robbie Farah is urging his ageing Blues teammates to seize the moment on Wednesday night and finally clinch a State of Origin series - before it's too late.
With six Blues forwards already into their thirties, including battered skipper and eight-time series loser Paul Gallen, who turns 33 this year, Farah admits time is running out for the side's long-time core to break Queensland's near-decade-long reign.
Along with Gallen, fellow pack members Farah, Luke Lewis, Anthony Watmough, Ryan Hoffman and Beau Scott, all 30, are also in the twilight of their careers and multiple Origin series losers.
Greg Bird, 29, a six-times Origin series loser is also yet to enjoy interstate bragging rights.
"It's always in the back of your mind. You only get so many chances and, as every year passes, the end is nearer," Farah said on Thursday.
"We're all pushing 30 and, in Gal's case, 32, so there's not many chances left.
"So it'd be nice to win one, especially for those guys as well. They've been through the tough times and they carry that load of all the losses.
"Some of the new guys that come in probably don't feel as much hurt as the older guys do.
"For us older blokes, it'd be nice to win one before we retire."
One-nil up and playing at home against an injury-hit Maroons line-up in Sydney, the Blues have rarely had a better chance to snare a series after a painful eight-year run of outs.
"We've just got to learn from what's happened in the past and try and take our opportunity," Farah said.
"We had a decider last year that we let slip and even the previous year we lost by a point up there.
"It'd be nice to wrap it up in front of the home crowd down in Sydney."
But if they don't, Farah refuses to believe the Blues couldn't win the series in a decider in front of more than 60,000 diehard Queensland fans at Suncorp Stadium.
"Everyone wrote us off going up there before game one. No one gave us a chance," the veteran hooker said.
"We went up there against the odds and won."
While this year's series could spell the end for the likes of Gallen, Watmough, Lewis, Scott, Hoffman and Bird, Farah has no plans of farewelling Origin in 2014.
"I'm alright. I'm feeling good. I've got a couple of years left," he said.
"I'll keep putting my hand up until they don't want me. I don't get guys who retire from rep footy and that. You play your club footy to play rep footy.
"That's what it's about - to be an athlete to play on the biggest stage.
"If the day comes that someone will do a better job than me, I'll step aside because that's what would be best for NSW."
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