At six o’clock tonight, the New South Wales players will board their team bus within walking distance of ANZ Stadium, drive down Olympic Boulevard and into the arena.
Coach Ricky Stuart will have 17-players filled with nerves sitting behind him, but he hopes every single one of them sees a sea of blue out the window.
Stuart wants to create a Brisbane style, Caxton St, atmosphere for his team prior to game two.
He was denied the chance to do so before game one due to safety concerns, but this time his wish will be granted.
Instead of having abuse hurled at them, Stuart is hoping the expected show of support is the little bit of extra inspiration his side needs as they try to keep the series alive.
Will it work? Who knows. You do have to admire the lengths to which Stuart has gone over the last six-months though.
The seeds of this revolution were sown after Queensland sealed a fifth straight series win last year.
A review recommended Stuart be given the task of defining what it is to be a Blue and he has thrown himself head, shoulders, knees and toes into the job.
Did NSW have a strong State of Origin culture before his arrival? Definitely not.
Do they now? You bet.
That’s not to say that the Blues have always lacked spirit, but somewhere along the line the losses took their toll and mediocrity became the norm.
Stuart has changed all of that.
He has created a system where the past, present and future gel together into one package.
In game one, they got closer than they should’ve, but past sides would’ve had a cricket score put on them if they were forced to defend for that long.
But say being brave isn’t enough tonight and the Maroons wrap up a sixth straight series. Consider for a moment that all the bright ideas in the world might not be enough to stop a golden generation.
What if, after months and months of toil, it just isn’t enough.
Will Stuart be around to see through the revolution he started?
A man as competitive as Ricky Stuart will no doubt consider any job that becomes available in the NRL.
12-months is a long time to wait for revenge and when you’re Ricky Stuart a year feels like a decade.
No-one will blame Stuart for moving on, if he decides to, but he has shown that the role needs someone who is dedicated to it on a full-time basis.
The danger for the Blues lies in the future.
A new coach will always try and impose themselves on a set-up.
That way if the system fails he has no-one else to blame but himself.
You get the feeling though that Stuart is on the verge of something special.
It may not translate into a win tonight, but the systems and procedures he has in place need to be kept at all costs.
Stuart must sit and think how easy life is for his counterpart and good friend Mal Meninga in the Queensland camp.
Slater, Boyd, Inglis, Thurston, Lockyer, Smith, Civoniceva … we’ll stop before NSW fans get angry at their opponents embarrassment of riches.
While it has been a typically laid back preparation for the cane toads, some of the Blues best have been talking about knowing nothing but defeat in their State of Origin careers.
Queensland dominance won’t last forever. Players that make a difference will come and go.
Will Stuart see the fruit of his revolution? Tonight will provide some of the answers.
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