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Origin 2 at ANZ tonight is a simple equation: NSW’s unknown courage clashing with Queensland’s well-known culture.
It will take a ton of courage for the Blues’ Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis, Mitchell Pearce, Todd Carney, and Jarryd Hayne to match it with the Maroons’ Cam Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, and Cooper Cronk – five of the best rugby league players on the planet.
At stake, a pride-saving win to keep NSW alive in the series, or facing an humiliating and record-setting seven successive series losses.
There’s no option.
It has to be courage beating a winning culture so endemic among those wearing maroon.
If NSW has any lateral vision, the men-in-blue would have seen the Wallabies and Socceroos on television show commendable courage over the last four days to not lose when the odds were stacked against them.
The Tri-Nation champion Wallabies were underdogs in my book when they took on the Six Nations Grand Slammers Wales at Suncorp last Saturday.
Playing without skipper-lock James Horwill, and super backs Kurtley Beale, James O’Connor, Quade Cooper, Drew Mitchell, and Ben Tapuai, all injured or not match-fit enough to play a Test, the Wallabies led 20-6 playing above themselves.
But in a 12-minute going off the boil period, the Welshmen swooped to be 20-19, sniffing victory with 17 minutes left on the clock.
Wales had the momentum.
When recent Wallaby lineups went off the boil, they stayed there – and lost.
Not so with new skipper David Pocock, and vice-captain Will Genia, in command. Playing world class rugby, the two-man executive lifted the side to a 27-19 victory.
The Socceroos didn’t win, nor did they lose, showing the same courage. In the energy-sapping 42C heat in Muscat, the Socceroos played a scoreless draw with Oman in a World Cup qualifier.
Three days later, after the long flight home and precious little preparation, the Socceroos played far stronger Japan last night in another World Cup qualifier in Brisbane.
Despite being down to 10 men, with Mark Milligan red-carded in the 55th minute after two yellows, the Socceroos drew 1-1, showing enormous courage.
The message is loud and clear.
Courage can win against the odds, and Queensland is odds-on to win.
If there are around 80,000 at ANZ tonight in a sea of blue, that should be more than enough adrenalin pumping to lift NSW beyond their Origin 1 performance in Melbourne.
Then the unknown courage factor kicks in.
Will the NSW shed after 80 minutes be exuberant, or worse than a funeral?
It’s entirely in the hands of Paul Gallen and his troops.