No fear: Inside Blues' plan to silence Queensland crowd

Westpac NSW Blues forward Liam Martin has declared his side will thrive off a hostile Suncorp Stadium reception as they look to claim back-to-back wins at the venue for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Thirteen players from the side that secured a historic victory in last year's decider have returned for Wednesday night's series opener, with Max King the only debutant in the NSW squad. 

The Blues have taken plenty of confidence from the 2024 triumph, however they have struggled in Brisbane throughout their history. Queensland have won six of the past eight games at Suncorp Stadium and NSW have not won two-in-a-row since 1997-98. 

Martin's Origin debut came at a packed Queensland Country Bank Stadium in 2021, with his Suncorp initiation coming a couple of weeks later.

The Blues won both games and he quickly emerged as public enemy No.1 north of the Tweed. Rather than crumble under the pressure, Martin declared he thrives on the hostility and he's eager to silence a vocal crowd on Wednesday night. 

"I've never found it intimidating, I've more thrived on it," Martin said. "The hostile environment is incredible. There's nothing like it and it's pretty special when you run out to 50,000 people booing.

"There were about 20 NSW fans there for my Origin debut in Townsville and it was nuts. To have that as an introduction to Origin, as soon as I ran on the field I loved it. I've never shied away from it, I look forward to it so I can't wait. 

"Now I think about how I can stamp my authority on the game. You're never comfortable in this arena but I know what it takes and what you've got to bring."

NSW coach Laurie Daley has selected an experienced side in his return to the job and he's hoping that will work in his team's favour at Suncorp Stadium. 

It will be the first time every player in the Blues' 17-man squad has played more than 100 NRL games and the combined total of 2647 first-grade matches eclipses their old record of 2597 games from Game One in 2014. 

The Maroons still hold the overall record of 3528 NRL matches for Game Three in 2016.

It's also been 31 years since the Blues had just one debutant for a series opener. David Barnhill was the sole rookie in 1994, a match best remembered for Mark Coyne's miracle try in the final minute. 

NSW will need to use all of their experience to prevail at Suncorp Stadium, with their preparation thrown into chaos when Stephen Crichton suffered a cork at training on Monday.

The injury occurred during a closed session, however an image of the centre limping from the field emerged soon after. Crichton will be given until Wednesday before a decision is made on his fitness, with Campbell Graham to come into the side if he is ruled out. 

NSW officials were disappointed the images leaked out, however coach Laurie Daley said they have come to expect unexpected challenges throughout a campaign. 

"That's part of Origin," Daley said. "You've just got to accept it and roll with the punches but you can't be put off at all, no matter what happens. 

"Our preparation's been spot on. There's always a challenge around Origin time. We've had challenges all week with weather, players and training but it doesn't take away our focus from what we need to do."