LAURIE Daley has always been known for his country raised loyalty. Faithful in tough times, dedicated in better times.

That hasn’t changed since Daley was a whippersnapper with the mighty Junee Diesels. And it isn’t about to alter now.

That is why Daley will largely remain loyal to the NSW side that contested last year’s State of Origin series.

Kevin Walters and Laurie Daley at the Fox Sports 2016 launch. Source: News Corp Australia

Round 19

NSW crashed and burned in Origin III but should have claimed Origin I (lost 11-10 in Sydney) with the Blues winning handsomely in Melbourne during game two.

Daley won’t be afraid to make changes but he has a certain allegiance to the team which won the 2014 series and lost last year 2-1.

“The guys that were there last year in games one and two, they did a terrific job,” Daley said. “Unfortunately game three wasn’t the result we were expecting. I am sure those players would want a shot at redemption.

“One of the keys for us has been stability in the selection process. When we have made changes, we have made them for reasons rather than reacting.

“I think you need to be consistent and be confident in the boys you select. Everyone can have a bad performance — you just don’t want too many in row. That’s when your performance is scrutinised.

“We need all the players that were there last year to play well, and the players underneath playing well. Then it will come down performances and then we can make up our mind.

NSW players look on after the score blow-out in last year’s decider. Source: News Corp Australia

“This is the time of year when you start to have a look out and see who wants to be involved.”

Daley and Queensland counterpart Kevin Walters came face-to-face at the Fox Sports’ season launch.

Asked was he feeling the pressure under such a dominant era, Walters said: “Not really, no. The job comes with expectations and responsibilities.

“It wasn’t too kind over the last couple of weeks (suspending emerging Queensland players for misbehaviour) but we’ve got that out of the way and can get on with things, get the footy started and hopefully get some good footy out of our blokes.”

Despite Queensland’s dominance over the past decade, there is a theory the current squad is ageing and the Maroons could be in decline.

Kevin Walters in action during his playing career. Source: News Corp Australia

Laurie Daley runs with the ball for the Raiders. Source: News Corp Australia

“That’s been said for the past couple of years,” Walters said. “They are still playing football for their respective clubs, they’ve been great players for a long time and I don’t expect that to change too much.”

Walters admires former Maroons coach Mal Meninga but wants to firmly place his own stamp on the Queensland side.

“Every coach likes to put his own little stamp on his side, I’m sure Laurie was the same with when he took over NSW,” Walters said. “There won’t be any major changes but I am a different person to Mal and I have to make sure I do things that I’m comfortable with more so than doing it in someone else’s shoes.

“I’ve been waiting for a while to opportunity, it should be great. Queensland has been successful for a lot of reasons and one of those is the way the camps have been run. The other thing has been our playing depth.”