After watching last year's series opener among the crowd at ANZ Stadium, NSW halfback Adam Reynolds has vowed to call the shots in his Origin debut next Wednesday night and not be intimidated by the presence of Blues veterans Robbie Farah, Paul Gallen and Greg Bird.
Reynolds, who grew up dreaming of emulating NSW greats Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler in Origin, finally gets his chance to pull on a Blues jersey bearing his own name but the South Sydney No.7 knows he has to make the most of the opportunity.
Had NSW won the corresponding match last season it is unlikely Reynolds would have got the call-up to replace Trent Hodkinson but a communication breakdown between the Blues playmakers proved costly as they blew two field goal chances in the dying minutes of the 11-10 loss.
Even from the stands, Reynolds could see what went wrong as Hodkinson failed to direct the Blues to set up for a field goal and opted to pass to Michael Jennings on one occasion and Farah passed the ball from dummy half to fullback Josh Dugan when Hodkinson was positioned for a shot.
"I think anyone watching the game can spot something that they would do but it is a lot tougher out on the field," Reynolds said. "You can't fault anyone who has played Origin and their passion and the commitment they have shown for the blue jersey.
"I thought the boys played really well and were unlucky not to get the win. It is such an important game, the first one. It sets up the whole series and it will definitely be better this time that I am out on the field but watching last year at the game, it was heartbreaking for the boys and it was heartbreaking seeing your team lose."
Next week's series opener may be Reynolds' first Origin but he has been watching the Blues play for as long as he can remember and dreamed that he would one day get his chance.
A knee injury cruelled his chances last year but he was determined that a broken jaw sustained in Souths opening-round win over Sydney Roosters wouldn't be another setback and forced his way into the NSW team with starring performances against Parramatta and St George Illawarra the last two weeks.
"As a kid you dream of it, playing State of Origin, you sit in front of the tele and watch it every time it comes around," Reynolds said.
"When I was younger I used to watch the likes of Joey Johns and Freddy Fittler and I used to replicate what they did in the backyard. I didn't have a name or number on my jersey, I supported the whole NSW team and it was a dream of mine to play Origin so it is an awesome feeling that it has come true."
However, history suggests that the halfback will be the player most likely to cop the blame if the Blues don't win next Wednesday night and Reynolds knows that he needs to take control of the team and call the shots.
"Coming into a team that has got a lot of experienced players like Paul Gallen, Greg Bird and Robbie Farah, I have got to make sure I stamp my authority early and make sure that I am heard as well," Reynolds said.
"It is my job as a halfback to lead the team around so I have got to make sure I do that and I get it under control early so everyone knows. I am experienced now at NRL level and I have to bring that to State of Origin. I am going to build through the week and heading into Wednesday I will be full of confidence."
While Reynolds is an Origin rookie, the 25-year-old steered Souths to a grand final win over Canterbury in 2014 and is excited about playing in front of another big crowd at ANZ Stadium.
"It was a great experience in the grand final and Souths fans are very loud and vocal but I think we had only half the stadium," he said.
"I think there will be a fair bit of support for NSW next week, it is gong to be packed out, and to have 80,000 Blues fans screaming it doesn't get much better than that so I am really looking forward to it."
