Former Brisbane Bronco Berrick Barnes says the Wallabies‘ Bledisloe Cup drought makes them feel like the battered NSW State of Origin team.

The Blues may have salvaged some pride despite four straight series losses with a victory in game three on Wednesday night, but the Wallabies haven’t had their hands on the Bledisloe in six years.

Queenslander Barnes showed he still had a soft spot for the 13-man game by drawing the comparison between the plights of the Wallabies, who open their Bledisloe and Tri-Nations campaign against the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, and Craig Bellamy’s Blues.

“It’s something we haven’t been able to get our hands on,” Barnes said.

“I suppose we’re a bit like NSW in a lot of ways.

“We’re coming into an environment, it’s obviously not foreign to us but it’s one of the toughest Tests you can go to and I think it’s an exciting chance for us.

“It means a hell of a lot to Australia to win this thing and to get it back.”

Asked if the Wallabies had been caught on the hop in last year’s 39-10 Auckland loss, Barnes said: “It’s just like Origin last night, NSW turned up and Queensland weren’t able to do it.”

Former Wallabies coach John Connolly was renowned for aping Maroons forward Billy Moore’s “Queenslander” chants, but Barnes said watching Origin had not divided the Australian camp in Auckland.

“It’s truly a great spectacle, a great sporting event, there’s nothing really like it in Australia,” he said.

“That’s as tough as it gets and you saw it last night, two props going at it in the 78th minute and they were throwing with a fair bit of fire.

“My folks went to the game and they said it was a pretty wild night out in the streets of Brisbane afterwards, so Mum was ducking for cover.

“There’s some good rivalries there, the boys get into it a bit and enjoy it.

“I was rooming with little (halfback) Willy Genia and he’s a PNG boy, they love it up there.

“He said people actually get killed up there over Origin, that’s how crazy it is up there.”

© AAP 2012

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