Queensland prop Tino Fa'asumaleaui has described his season at Gold Coast as a "learning curve" as he backs his fellow forwards to stand up to anything NSW throws at them.
The Titans skipper and Maroons regular admitted he hadn't been at his best at stages of the NRL season, where his famous aggression with and without the ball has been questioned.
"It's definitely been a learning curve for me. I've probably never had a slump in my form in my career," he said ahead of Wednesday's State of Origin series opener.
"I think I got caught up in a lot (of talk) about not running the big metres and doing the big shots that I usually do and always on that borderline, testing the ref with my aggression.
"But I wouldn't be in this team if it wasn't for the hard work I was doing that the people that sit on the lounge wouldn't see.
"Billy (Slater) wanted to pick me and he's made it real clear to all of us that he understands our game more than anyone, even us."
Asked if he'd had to tone down his play after getting charged with offences last year, the Maroons giant had an interesting appraisal of the modern game.
"That's not what the (modern) game is built on. Sometimes being aggressive can actually hurt the team with obviously being sent off," he said.
"But with the six-agains nowadays if you don't stick and hit (in defence) and do it right, it's going to be a quick play-the-ball, then your team's on the back foot before you know it.
"With the evolution of the game, I think it's actually toned down the aggression and you have to be way more strategic with the way you do things, and technical."
A lot has been made of the Blues' firepower up front, but Fa'asuamaleaui said he and fellow middle forwards Thomas Flegler and Max Plath would not be daunted.
"They have got to withstand us too," he said.
"Obviously everyone's talking about them doing what they're going to do to us.
"They always do the talking, but me and Flegler have been working hard to get here in this squad, and he's had a long journey.
"I have no doubt with me, him and Plathy in the middle, that we can do a job for Queensland."
Fa'asuamaleaui was emotional during the anthem before the first game of last year's Origin series after a year's absence with an ACL rupture.
He was below his best in game one but returned with a bang in the next two to help Queensland win the series.
"That emotion's always there for me, honestly, every time I run out there in the Maroons jersey. This jersey means so much to me," he said.
"I've just got to make sure that I control that emotion this time."
