Cameron Smith says he feels no pressure to extend his representative career in 2018 to help Queensland's transition, with potentially half of the all-conquering Queensland State of Origin team missing next year.
Ahead of a record 40th Origin game, the Maroons skipper admits Queensland are already marking a changing of the guard with five veterans with more than 100 Origin games experience missing for Wednesday night's series opener in Brisbane.
Matt Scott (knee), Billy Slater (overlooked), Johnathan Thurston (shoulder), Corey Parker (retired) and Greg Inglis (knee) are the big name omissions.
The Maroons will blood two debutants at Suncorp Stadium - five-eighth Anthony Milford and prop Dylan Napa.
But Smith warned the Maroons could enter a whole new era next year, with Thurston drawing the curtain on his representative career after the 2017 World Cup and halfback Cooper Cronk yet to decide on his future.
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The Origin careers of veterans Inglis, Slater, Nate Myles, Jacob Lillyman and Sam Thaiday are also up in the air.
But Smith said he would have no problem walking away from Origin next year.
"Next year there could be half the side gone," he said.
"(But) I have spent the last 39 games helping players and putting the team in a good position.
"I don't feel the pressure to play on to make the transition easier.
"There's been a changing of the guard a little bit for this first game and none of us know how long we have got - only Johnathan has put an end date to it.
"But there will never be any pressure on a player to finish up or play on."
Smith may decide his Origin future after the 2017 World Cup.
"At this stage I feel really good and I love playing rep footy," he said.
"But I will have a clearer picture at the end of the year.
"I am 35 next year. There's a lot of footy to be played with all the rep stuff."
Queensland will again kick start their title defence after winning 10 of the last 11 Origin series.
But Smith rated his milestone match one of the biggest challenges of his Origin career with so much experience lost.
"No doubt. Given the personnel we have lost, it throws a few question marks up over our side for game one," he said.
"We are lacking a lot of experience, just over 100 matches.
"And you can't replace experience."
However, Smith reckoned it paled in comparison to his pre-match jitters on debut as Maroons captain eight years ago.
"I am not feeling as much pressure as 2008 when I first captained the side - I felt very nervous about that," he said.
"But I am confident with this team. I am very confident with the two new guys (Milford, Napa) that have come into this side."
