Paul Gallen isn't one to show sympathy for a Queenslander, but the NSW skipper says he feels sorry for Cooper Cronk after the Queensland team "used him as a pawn" in yet another mind game.

Less than a year after Gallen labelled the Maroons "disrespectful" and "arrogant for booking Billy Slater into surgery before they had even won the series, the NSW prop has once again taken aim at the Maroons for taking advantage of Cronk's ankle injury to create doubt over his availability.

However the Blues insist they won't be falling for Queensland's old tricks, with Gallen expressing his disappointment over the treatment of his Australian teammate.

"I thought Cooper might be a bit disappointed to be used as a pawn like he was in a bit of a mind game," Gallen said on the eve of the series opener at ANZ Stadium.