It’s time to roll the dice – and the biggest gamble is Raiders rookie Ethan Strange.
An ambush in game one in Sydney is the Blues’ only hope of wrestling the State of Origin trophy away from Queensland.
With game two on neutral turf in Melbourne and the finale in the cauldron of Brisbane, the Blues will be a lost cause if they don’t take the honours in Sydney.
With that in mind, I’ve picked a radical team, with major changes to the side that hasn’t been able to beat the Maroons in recent series.
The dynamic 19-year-old has played only a handful of top grade games but is the form five-eighth in the premiership.
He’s aggressive and fearless – two attributes that will suit him well at Origin level.
The experienced Nicho Hynes will be there for guidance and once Strange gets over the early nerves, he has the class to rip and tear.
The safe option at six would be Panther Jarome Luai – but the safe option hasn’t worked for the Blues in the past.
Another player with a similar ‘take no prisoners’ approach is Sharks centre Jesse Ramien and to me, he’s a better option than an out-of-form Latrell Mitchell.
