HE said what?

There has been no shortage of opinions or outlandish statements made in the build-up to Origin II in Melbourne.

We’ve taken a look back on the preparation and unearthed the best quotes and most outrageous predictions leading up to the clash at the MCG.

JOHNATHAN THURSTON

“I think Victorians hate New South Wales as much as Queenslanders,” Thurston said.

AARON WOODS

“If they want to get in there and use their heads and knees, it’s good fun,” he said of Queensland’s tactics.

MAL MENINGA

“Having him around the team, it’s all comfortable and lovey dovey,” Meninga on having injured halfback Cooper Cronk in camp.

RYAN HOFFMAN

“I might just be a boring old player but I don’t think it’s needed,” speaking about Justin Hodges patting him on the head in game one.

JUSTIN HODGES

“I’m not going to worry about him,” Hodges said of his run-in with Ryan Hoffman in game one.

PAUL GALLEN

“There’s not of a lot of fear factor anymore, you can’t punch anyone anymore,” he said. “We’ve been used to their grubby tactics for years now. I suppose in game one the boys were a bit naive to think some of the so-called angels of the game don’t get up to any of it.”

DALY CHERRY-EVANS

“The only means of support I probably haven’t got is through the media,” Cherry-Evans said.

MAL MENINGA

“Bring it on, it’s good,” Meninga on playing aggressively. “We’ve prepared for it all week and that’s what Origin is all about that character and desire. We play with an aggressive mindset.”

GORDEN TALLIS

“Some people don’t need it to play good or play better,” Tallis said of having the captaincy in Origin.

MITCHELL PEARCE

“In hindsight I wish I never played that early when I was 19 to 22,” Pearce told Fairfax Media. “I definitely wasn’t ready.”

JOSH MORRIS

“You can never bag him and I won’t do that ever,” he said of his opposing number Greg Inglis.

PAUL GALLEN

“The $10 million man, he’s probably got the most pressure on him than anyone,” Gallen said of Daly Cherry-Evans.

When asked whether there was any chance he would be sledging the halfback, Gallen replied; “I might need a loan off him one day.”

ROBBIE FARAH

“The medical staff were screaming at me saying ‘hey what are you doing? You’re doing too much, get off’ but for myself it was important,” Farah said of doing full-contact training with his shoulder issue.

GORDEN TALLIS

“You can’t play Origin especially in the middle of the ruck with an AC problem,” Tallis on Robbie Farah’s bung shoulder. “Robbie would have known he was ready to go 10 days ago. You’d be crazy not to run at him. It’s like a jungle.”

PAUL GALLEN

“I’ve just had a gutful of blokes giving it to (Trent Hodkinson) basically,” Gallen told NRL 360 of NSW fans bagging players. “If you don’t want to support the players that have been picked, don’t support us. Don’t talk about us, don’t watch us. We’re here as a group and we have a bit of that siege mentality at the moment.”

LAURIE DALEY

“He copped a lot of criticism after game one which was unfair,” Daley on Trent Hodkinson. “He knows we care about him and what he can do for a footy team and we will back him to the hilt.”

DALY CHERRY-EVANS

“They’re big shoes to fill,” he said of replacing Cooper Cronk.

MAL MENINGA

“Billy’s fine and he’s ready to play really well for the Queensland team and I’m pretty sure he will be a target from a NSW perspective,” he said of Slater. “We’re ready to go, ready to rumble.”

ROBBIE FARAH

“We were probably a little bit too clean,” Farah said of game one. “They pushed the boundaries as you should and they got away with it.”

JUSTIN HODGES

“He’s a pest,” Hodges told Fairfax Media of teammate Will Chambers. “If you are playing cards or Play Station, he is always having a dig at you. He thinks he is the best in everything.”

JOSH JACKSON

“Coming off the bench will be different, I’m not used to that,” he said.

MEL MENINGA

“Personally I think the scheduling is great. For people who criticise it, come up with a solution. There’s no solutions yet, is there? So this is the best scenario as our competition stands at the moment.”

BRETT MORRIS

“You go to dark places in Origin where your body has never been before.”

STEVE ROACH

“He’s as tough as an old country leather boot,” Roach said of Josh Jackson in the The Daily Telegraph.

MICHAEL ENNIS

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some curve balls thrown. Maybe they might start (Michael) Morgan,” Ennis told NRL360 of Queensland possibly benching Cherry-Evans for Morgan.

PHIL GOULD

“He’s 34 years of age, he can’t keep doing it,” Gould said of Gallen’s return to the NSW side on Channel Nine. “I get very surprised by all the desperation to rush him back into the Origin side. He has no match fitness, he’s getting older and in my opinion he’s done his job.”

PAUL GALLEN

“Fifteen years I’ve played first grade I’ve met (Gould) twice so his opinion doesn’t mean a lot to me,” Gallen told Triple M of Phil Gould saying he is too old.