Now is the time: The Blues must wipe out any doubts heading into Origin I on Wednesday night. Credit:Getty Images The game plans, the trick shots, the structures, the tactics, the philosophies and the rehearsed plays – they will mean little to the overall result of this match. Most of that goes out the window pretty quickly in these Origin games. You will soon realise it’s a game of attrition, aggression, self-belief and, at times, even survival. This game will take you to fatigue levels never before experienced. It will take you to dark places in your own mind. The ability to control your own thoughts and to inspire the thoughts of those around you with your efforts is crucial. It’s about you. It’s not about them. It’s about a commitment to defence. It’s about the courage to stand your ground and the strength to deny your opponent easy passage. It’s the commitment to cover for your teammate, not just when you think it might be needed, but every time. You need to be there, just in case, every time. You might be there a thousand times and no one will notice you because you weren’t needed. But if you are not there on the one occasion you were needed, it will haunt you forever.

These games are won by tries saved rather than tries scored. Saving a try is better than scoring one. It’s about constantly putting yourself into the game. The number on your back is not a position to play on the field. It is an invitation to play anywhere on the field at any time. There is a lot to be said for a dummy and run. Don’t dump pressure onto a teammate by passing the problem onto him. Take the hit yourself. A good quick play-the-ball is always better than a wayward or rushed pass. Dig into them. Don’t accept a tackle. Never surrender. It will take extra effort to run with a teammate in support, to chase a kick all the way to the dead ball line and beyond, or to never give up on a run. These extra efforts, or second efforts, will be rewarded. It’s the willingness to get up when you are hurt, to scramble when you are tired, to take the tough run when your team needs it, to chase again even when you think you have no more in you – these are the things that will make a difference to the result.

The team that talks the longest wins. If a team goes quiet, it’s the same as hoisting a white flag. Play your part. Encourage with your words. Respond when teammates talk to you. Lead them with your actions. You can’t do it all yourself. You will need your teammates and they will need you. You have to be there for them. Be the man everyone else wants to be. I know this all sounds so simple. But the test of time has proven to us that these things, all of which have absolutely nothing to do with talent and absolutely everything to do with courage, will have more influence on the end result than which team might have the best players or the cleverest plays. Your chance of success in this match could well come down to answering one simple question. On one given night, in one 80 minute performance, can you give more of yourself in these things so can you have more influence on the result of this match than your opposite number?

You don’t have to be better than him for three days solid. You don’t have to be a better player than him for the rest of your career. You just have to be better than him on this one special night. Its 40 minutes of effort. Have a rest. Go for 40 minutes again. You have trained for this all your life. Everything you have ever done in your career to date has simply prepared you for this moment. So, on this one night, can you do it? I remember the preparations for game one in 2002. The newspapers and the critics had labelled our selected team as the worst NSW team in State of Origin history. They predicted disaster for our side. We had a game plan. We had tactics and plays. But we needed much more than just football. We needed attitude. We needed belief.

In a team meeting I pointed to each player and asked who was going to have more influence on this match: him or the player he opposed? I went around the room one by one. I didn’t wait for an answer from any player, I just moved on to the next player in the team. It was to provoke thought. To have them thinking about the challenge. The last player I came to was our fullback, Brett Hodgson. Brett was on Origin debut. His opposite number was Darren Lockyer, one of the greatest Origin players of all time and easily the best and most influential player in the Queensland side. I stared straight at Brett and asked the question: ‘‘Who will have more influence on this result – Brett Hodgson or Darren Lockyer?’’ At that instant, all eyes turned to look at Brett. It was an intense moment. In that split second I suddenly realised his response to this question might well make or break us. Brett looked me in the eye and said: “Me.” The experts were confidently predicting this match could well be the darkest day in NSW Origin history. I told them I believed this would be NSW’s finest hour.

We won the game 32-4. Brett Hodgson was man of the match. He made good on his promise. So, lads. It’s a simple question. On this one special night, who is going to have more influence on the result of the match? You or your opponent? Tony Williams or Josh Papalii? Ben T’eo or Anthony Watmough? Trent Merrin or Aidan Guerra?

Luke Lewis or Daly Cherry-Evans? James Tamou or Nate Myles? Robbie Farah or Cameron Smith? Aaron Woods or Matt Scott? Ryan Hoffman or Matt Gillett?

Beau Scott or Chris McQueen? Paul Gallen or Corey Parker? Trent Hodgkinson or Cooper Cronk? Josh Reynolds or Johnathan Thurston? Daniel Tupou or Brent Tate?

Michael Jennings or Justin Hodges? Josh Morris or Greg Inglis? Brett Morris or Darius Boyd? Who will have more influence on the result of this game – Jarryd Hayne or Billy Slater? You see, as readers scroll down this list and evaluate the head-to-head battles, they have already formed an opinion. It’s probably fair to assume that the vast majority of experts, commentators and fans would lean towards selecting your opponent rather than you as the man most likely to have more influence over the result of this match.

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter what other people think. It only matters what you believe. Go the Blues!