Qld Origin pack dropped too soon: Papalii

Josh Papalii believes Queensland's well beaten pack should have been given a shot at redemption in next week's State of Origin game two in Sydney.

Fired-up Queensland forward Josh Papalii admits he hoped the Maroons pack well beaten in the State of Origin series opener would receive a shot at redemption.

But Papalii has backed the new-look Maroons forwards, including debutants Jarrod Wallace, Tim Glasby and Coen Hess, to make amends against NSW in Wednesday night's game two at ANZ Stadium.

Canberra wrecking ball Papalii was close to tears after the Blues bullied the Maroons pack to seal a record 28-4 game one win in Brisbane last month.

Now he's desperate to level the score after surviving the Maroons cull.

He wanted dumped forwards Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday, Jacob Lillyman and Aidan Guerra to be given a similar chance.

"I thought (Queensland coach) Kevvie Walters was going to keep the same team because I definitely was burning after that first one and the boys who did get dropped would have been burning too," Papalii said.

He revealed he would force himself to watch the series opener again to further fuel him for the bid to keep the series alive.

Papalii is expected to move to the starting front row despite nursing concussion and a knee complaint but Walters will not reveal his line-up until Friday after naming his 17-strong squad in alphabetical order on Monday.

"I forgot about game one (while) backing up for Canberra but I will watch a bit of video, get a bit of feedback and see how we feel after that," Papalii said ominously.

"But it's a must-win game, I don't think you need much more motivation when you pull on the Maroon jersey."

Papalii admitted he was starting the Queensland camp behind the eight ball after nursing a knee injury and suffering a head knock that cut short his last round NRL match for Canberra.

However, Papalii said he would relish starting in the front row to set the tone against a rampant NSW pack led by Andrew Fifita.

"To be honest the last couple of days I have been pretty rattled but I am ready to go," he said.

"I should be all good. I wasn't too happy with the way I played or the way our forward pack went in the last game - the NSW pack had a field day.

"It's a frustrating feeling when Fifita is running like a back> They get a lot of confidence out of that.

"But I am excited about game two. There was a lot of excitement watching Dylan Napa make his debut in game one and it's the same for Hess, Wallace and Glasby."


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Source: AAP



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