He had his name tossed up as a candidate for the NSW captaincy and was last year voted the Blues' player of the series following an ironman effort but Josh Jackson was never certain of his place in the side.
As the the Canterbury back-rower walked into NSW camp on Monday, he couldn't help but stop and admire the calibre of his back-row teammates and what an achievement it was to be named in coach Laurie Daley's starting 13 for State of Origin game one.
Cronulla's Wade Graham is widely regarded as one of the form players of the competition and has mixed defensive hard-edge with a deft playmaking and kicking game.
However he will start from the bench in favour of Jackson, a no-frills, no-nonsense workaholic from the central NSW town of Gulgong, which boasts a population of 1800.
Several pundits considered Jackson lucky to be in the starting side and earning the sly blue No.11 jersey is a source of pride for the 26-year-old who has forged his career on toughness and hardiness.
Asked if he ever felt his position was safe, Jackson said: "No. It's good competition.
"Playing against guys of that standard really makes you lift your game. It's a good thing for NSW.
"The back-row is very versatile. We've got a guy like Wade Graham with a good kicking game and a good passing game and then guys like Boyd Cordner and Tyson Frizell who are good runners of the ball. So that will worry Queensland a lot."
Daley is an unabashed fan of Jackson and earlier this year threw his name up as a potential successor to Paul Gallen as Blues skipper.
And while he isn't as flashy as some of his fellow Blues forwards, his teammates will tell you it's his willingness to do the tough stuff which makes him such a special player.
He played every club game of the 2013 and 2014 seasons before breaking into Origin.
Since 2013 he has played 110 matches for the Bulldogs - a record which is a testament to his resilience.
He played all but 10 minutes of last year's Origin series on his way to being named the Brad Fittler Medallist, an honour he says will go down as one of the biggest of his career.
Asked about his memories of last year's series, he says he recalls being constantly fatigued and under duress.
"You're always under the pump in Origin. It's a game like no other," Jackson said.
"That's the big difference, in NRL there are a lot times when you've got a little bit of energy but in State of Origin you're always playing under fatigue and that's what makes it so enjoyable when you win the games."
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