Lavina O'Mealey remembers her 2011 Interstate Challenge debut vividly - and not just because it was her first time turning out for NSW.
"We got absolutely towelled up at Suncorp Stadium," the Blues playmaker recalled of the 26-0 loss.
That introduction to the newly rebranded Women's State of Origin fell smack bang in the middle of Queensland's 17-year stretch of dominance.
The all-conquering Maroons suffered their first wobble with a draw in 2015 and, as it happened, O'Mealey's second foray into representative footy came the following year when NSW finally snapped the drought under new coach Ben Cross.
She returned last year for the Blues' second-straight triumph and will mark her swansong with what the 34-year-old hopes will be a third at North Sydney Oval on Friday night.
"I was lucky enough to get the win the second game with an awesome team so looking to make it three in a row," O'Mealey told AAP.
"My final one. It's crazy. I was contemplating for a few years whether to retire or not but I know it's time for me to hang up the boots.
"The pathways are amazing ... I've got to make way for those girls coming through."
In contrast to the influx of teenage talent entering the increasingly professional women's game, O'Mealey was a relative late-comer.
The Redfern product took up rugby league a decade ago while in the depths of post-natal depression following the birth of her second child.
That lifeline turned into a life passion and she became a driver of the women's game and a mentor to its players.
Last year she made her Jillaroos debut and helped Australia lift the World Cup, and later this year will finish her career playing for the Sydney Roosters in the inaugural NRL Women's Premiership.
But first she'll help "keep the young girls calm" on Friday as they encounter the likes of comeback queen Steph Hancock, who will rampage her way through her 14th Maroons appearance, and rapidly rising star Zahara Temara.
With NSW veteran captain Ruan Sims among the injuries, Maddie Studdon will lead the team for the first clash to be played under he same Origin banner as their male counterparts.
Queensland captain Karina Brown said it was a huge moment for women's rugby league and pledged to leave a legacy on the field.
"Most of us play Jillaroos together so we are mates but when you pull on that Queensland or NSW jersey you're definitely not mates," Brown said.
"We're there to do a job for our state."
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