Origin III

Its so close you can almost feel it. Origin III is here and Phil Gould said it today, this could be the biggest one of all.

The Blues seem to have the most concerns injury wise with a 20 man squad named this afternoon with Stuart retaining all of the team from Game II.

Keith Galloway gets a call up into the squad with a chance to make his debut if players are ruled out. He gets the nod over Tom Learoyd-Lahrs as a reward for his fantastic form. Glenn Stewart earns a recall to the squad and will play if Beau Scott succumbs to injury.

Justin Hodges is all but a certainty to play his first Origin game in two years and Dave Taylor could face a nervous wait with the judiciary.

Now the teams have been sorted, lets fast forward to Wednesday night. It will be your typical Origin game, but there is so much more at stake. Darren Lockyer's last game will bring out the best in Queenslanders and they will be extremely tough to beat. They will be a lot better side than the one we saw in Game II. There is no more motivation needed to win this game of football and to continue 'the streak'.

New South Wales, well they dont need much motivation to get up for the game either. They know what they have to do to win at Lang Park, they came so close only one month ago. They will continue to play an expansive game which will play into their hands with the dry conditions in Brisbane.

Ricky Stuart has also said this group of men have exceeded his expectations with the commitment and desire shown to win back interstate supremacy.

Its almost like a classic Heavyweight Boxing match.

Queensland- the powerful, well oiled machine who dont think they can win they expect to. Under the reign of Meninga, its become a culture so deeply ingrained that winning football games is as automatic as brushing your teeth in the morning.

New South Wales- The challengers, on the trail and so close to winning back the shield. The past five years have tested the character and resilience of this football team. At times they have passed the test but more often then not they have failed in the big moments. Now the tide has turned, you can sense that anybody can win and its a talking point with every league fan.

Only ten more days and NSW will face their biggest test and more than ever they need to pass. If they fail it will be another case of 'here we go again'.

GO THE BLUES!!!