Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has been here before โ ready to lead his makeshift Maroons in a crucial decider, just as he did in 2020.
But this time heโll have to do it without his partner in crime Cameron Munster, and thereโs much more than interstate pride on the line.
Heading into his 13th consecutive Origin appearance as Maroons halfback, Cherry-Evansโ leadership and experience will be crucial to the hopes of a Queensland side starting as underdogs despite the weight of history in their favour.
In 2020 DCE captained a side featuring four debutants โ Corey Allan, Harry Grant and Edrick and Brenko Lee. Despite their inexperience and the stakes, the captain led his team to a famous series victory.
With a host of absences and changes to both line-ups for the decider, itโs familiar territory for the Maroons.
Though subsequent seriesโ have seen a back-and-forth rivalry established with Blues opposite Nathan Cleary, a lack of international football since 2019 has rendered the contest of little consequence โ until now.
With a Rugby League World Cup at the end of the year, Cherry-Evans and Cleary are now competing for the Australian No.7 jersey, and Cherry-Evans knows that incumbency counts for little on the back of Clearyโs outstanding Game 2 performance.
โWhether Nathan is or isnโt the front-runner for the World Cup, I canโt control what heโs doing. The only thing I can control is my footy and Iโm proud of how Iโm playing in this series,โ Cherry-Evans told the Daily Telegraph.
โIf I can keep improving and playing well, Iโll back myself to be there at the end of the year for Australia.โ
While an October trip to England is an enticing reward, the Maroons captain is fully focused on the task at hand.
โI remember the spirit we showed in the 2020 decider and I believe we can do it again.
โMy message to the guys is that we cannot stop believing for one second. We canโt give NSW a sniff of victory.โ
The initial Kangaroos 50-man World Cup squad is expected to be named after the completion of the Origin series, despite initial requests from organisers for submission by June 22.
