MATTY Johns is adamant.

This is the year NSW will finally break through and end Queensland’s historic State of Origin streak.

The Maroons have won eight in a row, in case anyone needed reminding, and this year host two games at fortress Suncorp.

Just over a month out from game one in Brisbane on May 28, Johns has put it all on the line, declaring the Blues as certainties.

Johns pinpointed Jarryd Hayne and Josh Dugan as keys to NSW’s chances, while also stating Queensland’s stars were not performing well in the NRL this season.

“It’s been a long time coming but NSW will win this year’s Origin series. There’s no doubt about it,” Johns said on Triple M.

“Jarryd Hayne has returned to top form. He was unbelievable (against the Tigers on Monday).

I was talking to Laurie Daley about this. It can work for NSW.

“All we’ve got to do is win that first game in Queensland. Go up there and catch them cold in that first game and history as shown we can do that.

“Then we return to NSW to wrap up the series.

“There are signs that we are on the up and up and there are serious signs the Queensland mainstay of that side – the core of that side – are struggling at club level.

“So this is going to be the year. Trust me.”

WILL THE BLUES END THEIR ORIGIN DROUGHT? VOTE IN THE POLL BELOW

Johns then revealed an insight into the respective NSW and Queensland camps, saying the Blues had to scrap the drinking culture if they truly wanted to end the drought.

“Here’s the problem: there is a failing in the NSW system,” Johns explained.

“You go into Origin camp and you’d actually be saying to yourself three days in, ‘I can’t believe I’m preparing for the most important game of my life and it’s the third day in a row that I’m drunk.’

“It’s been pulled right back these days, but there’s still that wink, wink, nudge, nudge culture in NSW in the fact that, ‘Yep, we’re going to stay off the drink, but you know what? We’ll go and have a drink anyway. We’ll go and do it somewhere quiet where we won’t bother anyone.’”

Queensland has a very different culture when it comes to alcohol, Johns said.

“There’s a story that’s well known up in Queensland. The players went to XXXX Island … for their camp. What they do is they invite all the journalists along and then at 8 o’clock at night they send the journalists away,” he said.

“The impression everyone gets there is … the Queensland boys are about to rip into the drink.

But what happened there was, when the journalists were back on the boat to Rockhampton, Cameron Smith pulled the players in and said, ‘We’re going to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and we’re not going to have a drink. We’re here to win the series. Let them all think we’re here to have a drink, but we’re here to win the series.’

“In NSW it’s got to the point now that we really don’t need the big bonding night. I just think winning is enough.

“I think the carrot to win the first series in nine years, to be part of that side, you’ve got to ask yourself that question as a player: ‘Is that enough? If the sacrifice worth it?’ And I would say, ‘Yes!’”