State of Origin loves a comeback. Those rare moments when a rugby league great comes out of representative retirement to help their state in its hour of need. Think Andrew Johns in 2005. Brad Fittler in 2004.
And Allan Langer in 2001, plucked from the other side of the world to answer an SOS and lead Queensland to a 40-14 victory in the decider.
Three legends of the game whose reputations glitter so much brighter for answering the call in an hour of need to come out of representative retirement, pull on the blue or maroon jersey for a final time, and lead their side to a series win.
Three comebacks. All successful.
Now, it is Trent Barrett’s turn.
While the 31-year-old NSW five-eighth’s career has not reached the heights of the above mentioned trio and he will never be considered a great, he has the chance to join them in Origin folklore.
He will probably never win an NRL premiership, or play in a grand final, so for Barrett this is the holy grail.
The chance to add to his seven Origin caps after a four-year absence and save NSW from being on the wrong end of history.
NSW trail Queensland 1-nil after a 10-minute blitz by the Maroons at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium put them on the path to a 28-18 victory.
Queensland are now just one win from securing their fourth successive series title – a record streak in the 30-year history of Origin football.
And worse still for NSW, they could do it in the Blues’ backyard of ANZ Stadium.
“It’s something we don’t want to be part of and I certainly don’t, being part of the team that couldn’t stop them,” said Barrett.
“I’m not daunted by the task, I’m not worried about it, I’m more excited about it.
“You never know when your last Origin game is going to be, this might be it. I’m going to make it a good one.
“I’m not going to let the burden of expectation put a dampener on my week.
“It’s going to take more than me playing well to beat them … we’re going to need 17 players that play to the level they play at and better. If we do that we can beat them.”
For Barrett to come back and rescue the NSW team from such a dire predicament, well it’s tougher than any task handed to Joey, Freddy or Alf.
They either returned for a decider (Langer) or to Origin sides that already held the inter-state trophy (Johns and Fittler).
Barrett joins a side who have have lost their last three games and last three series to Queensland.
Queensland coach Mal Meninga, whose long and glorious Origin playing career ended with three straight series defeats, hopes Barrett doesn’t carve out a fairytale for the Blues just 11 games into his NRL return from the Super League.
“He (Barrett) hasn’t been there for a while. He has been overseas but he has come back again, and he is slotted right back in (to an Origin side) a bit like Alf did many moons ago,” Meninga said.
“Hopefully he won’t have the same outcome.”
While no team has ever won four straight titles, Queensland have the best chance of any team before them.
NSW’s 2006 team went closest to four straight after they led the series 1-0 but lost the next two games in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Queensland at least have the advantage of a potential decider in Brisbane this year, but if their own run of success is any guide they’ll collect the title in Sydney.
Of their three successive series wins, Queensland have claimed the trophy on foreign territory every single time.
They won in Melbourne in 2006, then upset NSW on home soil in 2007 and 2008 to secure the crown.
Maroons vice-captain Cameron Smith said most of the players in Queensland’s history-chasing side were in the same boat as the Blues when they were staring down the barrel of a fourth straight series loss in 2006.
“We were facing the same scenario in 2006 after NSW had won the previous three series and everyone pretty much expected us to lose a fourth series,” Smith said.
“But we pulled something out of our backside to win the third game decider in Melbourne (16-14) and the series.
“They’ll be well prepared for this match to make sure they’re not a part of history for the wrong reasons.”
Barrett knows NSW face a moutainous task, but Origin has a habit of tossing up the unexpected.
“It’s going to take a special effort to beat them and not too many people will give us much of a hope,” said Barrett.
“But we certainly think we can win and our thinking is if we can win and go to Brisbane and win again, I will be able to look back on this with a hell of a lot of satisfaction.”
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