Josh Papalii was just seven days old when Queensland and New South Wales went to battle in Game One of the 1992 State of Origin series.
On that night legendary Queensland forwards like Gary Larson, Bob Lindner and Trevor Gillmeister took to the Sydney Football Stadium for another instalment of the greatest rivalry in Australian sport.
All the while, a newborn baby was still adjusting to his brand new life in Auckland.
The Blues won that evening on the back of powerful displays from bookends Paul Harragon and Glenn Lazarus.
It was something similar in Game One of the 2013 series with the Blues engine room outplaying and overpowering a disappointing Maroons pack.
Just like that night way back in 1992, the score finished 14-6.
Queensland had to make changes.
Enter Auckland-born, Queensland-raised, six-foot tall 115 kilogram juggernaut Josh Papalii.
The Canberra Raider deserves his Origin spot on form alone.
Yet media reports suggest that the Blues camp believe Papalii has been selected to headhunt NSW captain Paul Gallen and take the makeshift prop forward out of the contest.
That’s fine with Blues supporters.
If Papalii has been given orders to seek out and destroy our inspirational skipper, then by all means Queensland, go for it.
Queensland would be negating much of this giant’s attacking arsenal. If Papalii only has eyes for Gallen, the rest of his game will deteriorate.
The Canberra Raiders eliminated Cronulla from the 2012 finals series on the back of a dominant performance from Papalii. The match was highlighted by a running battle between Papalii and Gallen.
Papalii won out that day.
But Origin is a different beast and it won’t matter how much advice he gets. He won’t know if he is ready for State of Origin football until he gets into the grind.
The quickest, toughest almighty grind of them all.
And Queensland want him to be Gallen’s kryptonite in his very first taste of the big time?
That’s a hell of a lot of pressure.
Not to mention the target they’ve placed on their own man.
Gallen concedes it won’t just be Papalii looking for a square-up after his fists of fury with Nate Myles in Game One at ANZ Stadium.
“That’s fine, if they want to target me I’ve got 16 other blokes behind me that are going to be right there with me,” Gallen told a media scrum yesterday.
“If they want to concentrate on me, there’s a lot more strike power on the field than me.
“If they just want to worry about me I’ll be happy with that.”
So should the rest of New South Wales.
This is panic, paranoia, and bitterness at its best. The Maroons empire is wobbling.
Those cracks that Laurie Daley speaks of are widening by the minute.
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All the team list information for Round 9.
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