Brains trust: Mitchell Pearce, Trent Hodkinson and Robbie Farah at the Coffs Harbour training camp. Physically, I was wrecked. But I knew I couldn't let this state down. I couldn't let my teammates down. They're are not just my teammates. They're my brothers. "C'mon. Keep going, keep going!", trainer Ronnie Palmer yells out as he tries to get me back up on my feet knowing just how exhausted we all were. By that stage all feeling in my legs were lost. Nothing in my body was functioning. It felt like I was moving with my head. "This is hell", I remember thinking to myself. "This is literally hell".

In Origin, you need to take your body to places you've never been, experience feelings you've never experienced and suffer pain you've never suffered. I was hurting beyond measure, but I had to keep pushing for the boys, because deep down I knew they were pushing for me. We were all pushing for each other. We showed that warrior mentality. For me, the achievement was not wearing the jersey but what I put into that jersey. For me, getting a NSW jersey wasn't good enough. It's what I did with the jersey on that made me an Origin player. Putting that Blues jersey on, I felt like superman. In the minutes that matter most, your mind is the toughest opponent on the field. For so long, ending Queensland's eight-year winning streak that caused so much heartache was the motivation.

For this group in 2015, filled with so much young talent, it won't be. I have no doubt in my mind they have what it takes to be Origin players for a long time and lead NSW in the next decade. Right now, they are on top of the mountain. But it is a lot easier to fall down the mountain than it is to climb it. Staying at the top is the battle; a battle they were born to fight. Preparation only gets you so far, because nothing can prepare you for what happens on a field during Origin. That's why I love showing my San Francisco 49ers teammates Origin highlights. That's why I can't wait to show them the highlights after game one this year - because even if people don't know anything about rugby league, they've heard about Origin.

Josh Dugan and Mitchell Pearce are going to be the key orchestrators for this win. I have no doubt they've prepared well, but now it becomes more mental than physical. 'I have to be everything if we're going to win tonight' - that's the mentality that carried me through last year. Sitting on the other side of the world when Laurie Daley announced his team last week, the emotions came flooding back. All those nights spent in hotel rooms, distraught, losing Origin series after Origin series, plotting our revenge for next series as soon as one ends. All those years we fought together and bled together only to come away empty-handed.

All those late nights, drinking our sorrows away as we watched Queensland celebrate yet another victory at our expense. We were all in tears when the siren sounded at ANZ Stadium last year. We were so emotional. It meant everything to us to finally win a series. People don't realise what goes on behind closed doors, the weight of expectation we players carry when we go into battle at Origin. They don't realise the emotional toll and the hurt we carry with us long after they stop thinking about Origin. Those emotions came rushing back when the team was announced last week.

No one probably carries that weight of expectation more than Pearcey. The truth is, Pearcey is made for Origin, but it's not what other people think that will determine his fate. It's on him and the state of mind he is in. We're talking about a player who, at his best, is one of the best halfbacks in the competition. It's been well documented what has happened in Origin, but that's because at times he can think too much. I've been in camps with him. He puts a hell of a lot of pressure on himself. More than he should.

Having played alongside him and watched him dominate in games, I know what he is capable of producing when he is relaxed. When he is relaxed and not worried about anything, he carves up. That's what he needs to be on Wednesday night. Relaxed. He needs to realise that he belongs and remember why he is there and why Laurie believes in him and why I believe in him. He plays his best when he plays his natural game. As a halfback, he ticks all the boxes.

He's a phenomenal athlete with a great kicking game, an incredible passing game and a strong defensive game. But Pearcey always felt like any loss was his fault. He felt it more than most, more than he should have. Rugby league is a team game. No loss is one player's fault. To see some of the criticism of Pearcey's selection last week was poor. I'm in his corner, and always will be. There aren't many players who work as hard as he does and he deserves every success.

Having Trent Hodkinson alongside him is the perfect foil. I've played with Hodko since we were both 12 years old and he was the same player then that he is now. Calm, cool and collected. His mentality is different to Pearcey, which is why they will work so well together. Hodko is the most level-headed player in the game. He's the type of player, no matter what happens in the game, it doesn't fluster him. He worries about next play in the game and doesn't dwell on what has gone. His biggest strength is his composure under pressure. But what he gives you is a lot of structure and composure. That's why he's a great player. That is why I think Hodko will have that calming on influence on Pearcey.

Not playing last year will no doubt be a massive motivation for Pearcey, but he also needs to remember the players around him will look to him. I know Laurie believes in him. I believe in him. This is his stage. This is his time. Good luck to my Blues brothers, I'll be watching.