State of Origin champions know all of the hard work starts again to keep the trophy.
They have won the State of Origin series for the past seven years, and if they have their way, they’ll win for another seven-in-a-row.
Queensland go into the first State of Origin clash with the New South Wales Blues as the slight favourites despite a less than ideal preparation.
Last week a police investigation regarding an alleged assault by Ben Te’o against a Brisbane woman turned the focus on the Maroons for a reason other than football.
Also hampering their planning was a virus to star playmaker Johnathan Thurston, which ruled him out of training on Sunday and Monday.
But with Thurston cleared to play and Te’o, for the moment, focusing on playing, Queensland are quietly confident they have the team to do the job on the road, as they take on the Blues in Sydney at ANZ Stadium.
Hear from Maroons assistant coach Michael Hagan before the big game.
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