He's been the architect of NSW's misery for the best part of the past decade, who despite leading Queensland to a sixth consecutive series triumph in 2011, described NSW officials as "rats and filth".
But it seems all has been forgiven, with former Queensland coach Mal Meninga given a front row seat to watch the Blues' captain's run at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday morning just a few hours before the Maroons arrived for their final hit-out at the Olympic venue.
Blues skipper Paul Gallen did a double take when the familiar foe waltzed into NSW's final training session, creating a media storm with his presence.
But despite passing the baton to Kevin Walters to assume the Australian coaching role this year, Meninga's visit to the NSW training session didn't feel right to Gallen, who for so long has looked at Meninga as "the enemy".
"It is weird," Gallen said.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him just then. It is a bit weird because he's been at the forefront for them for so long. This time of year they're the enemy. It is a bit different, but we'll be fine."
While the media were forced out after the 15-minute warm-up, Meninga remained to watch the entire session without reservation from the Blues that he would tip his old buddies into some of NSW's secrets.
"I'm the Australian coach, that's what brings me here today," Meninga said.
"When it comes to Origin, these games matter from my perspective because I want to pick the best team for Australia. Showing my face here, it's part of my role. It's part of what I do now. It's nice to be invited by Laurie and the team to come again, so that's why I'm here. I sit on the fence now. Obviously I'm a Queenslander and I've been involved in Queensland for a number of years, but at the end of the day, I love rugby league.
"My role is about promoting the game and Origin is such a fantastic showpiece and when it comes to my role Origin is a really important part in the Australian team going forward. We all love rugby league. So when the Queensland team gets out there against NSW, it's mate against mate and it's state against state, but at the end of the day we want to see rugby league prosper."
There has long been a division between NSW and Queensland players at Australian level, but Meninga insists he's out to change that.
"That's part of my role as the Australian coach, if there's any division, mend it and make sure that when players come into the Australian team, it's a happy environment," he said.
"It's all about the game, it's not about all the banter that goes on with Origin. It's nice to be invited into this realm."
