Laurie Daley's decision to name an unchanged NSW line up for next week's State of Origin decider could be the perfect tonic for the battered Blues.
Assuming captain Boyd Cordner and fellow injured back rower Tyson Frizell are declared fit, NSW will take to the field with an unchanged side throughout the whole series for the first time since 1996.
Blues players estimated before Game II the unchanged line up saved them around three days in preparation, particularly when it came to defensive combinations.
That same familiarity could prove particularly useful when considering at least four of their stars could miss training sessions early in the week due to injury.
"It's really handy," Cordner said.
"I know coming into Game II training was a lot smoother than what it was Game I - so I suppose it will be even better again for this camp.
"I think we showed, especially in the first half, how important it was to have those combinations playing again together."
In doing so, the 2017 Blues have become just the second side in the 36-year history of the series to remain unchanged.
It's in deep contrast to Queensland, whose fitness and form woes have forced them to make nine changes.
Meanwhile, NSW have again returned to their regional base of Kingscliff in preparation for the Suncorp Stadium clash, where they will look to beat Queensland in a decider for the first time since 2005.
First on the agenda on Tuesday will be a review of their 18-16 Game II loss to the Maroons, but Cordner - who admitted it had been hard not to catch replays of the game on TV - thought it was important they moved past that early in the week.
"We'll get into camp, we'll touch on it. We'll go over it quickly but we can't dwell on it," Cordner said.
"We want to get that out of the way as soon as possible so we can put that aside and focus on the week ahead."
Share
