Payne Haas says he is hellbent on defying State of Origin history as NSW aim to do what no other Blues side has done in 41 years and save a series in Brisbane.
Suncorp Stadium - the Maroons’ fortress - hosts Game II on June 21, a ground where the Blues have only won three times in the last decade.
NSW coach Brad Fittler insists “nothing is impossible” but he will have to spend the next fortnight plotting one of the most unlikely upsets in Origin history after Wednesday’s 26-18 defeat at Adelaide Oval.
Haas is usually a beneficiary of a parochial Brisbane crowd when playing for the Broncos and, even though the odds are stacked against them, the prop says NSW can rise above the noise and set up a decider at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on July 12.
“It is tough but we’ve done it before, we won a Game II there before,” Haas said.
“I’m not worried, I'm pretty sure we can do the job. There is enough proof and evidence that we can.
“Seeing the second half and how we finished the first half, there are things we have got to fix.”
Game II could be pivotal for Fittler’s future as NSW coach, with the Blues boss staring at a 3-3 record across six series in which his side have, by and large, had stronger and deeper talent pools than the Maroons.
Many of NSW’s players have been written off in the past when the chips have been down and they are eager to make amends.
Five-eighth Jarome Luai bounced back from defeat in week one of the 2021 NRL finals to win the premiership with Penrith and was part of a Samoa side that avenged a 60-point loss to England to reach last year’s World Cup final.
“It’s important to leave it all in the past,” Luai said.
“I can do that and help the boys move on. We competed hard, we lost, it’s only 1-0, we’re still in this fight.
“We’ve got a great opportunity to go up to Suncorp and create a bit history.
“I’m motivated to win and motivated to make sure I’m doing my job for my brothers.”
