Daly Cherry-Evans has credited his former Manly coach Des Hasler for instilling the "siege mentality" deep inside him which has helped him lead Queensland to prevail against all odds.
The 34-year-old Maroons skipper has a track record of proving his critics wrong.
He spent three years out of the Queensland side from 2015-2018 and the word was his Maroons career was over. He proved that assessment wrong and has now played 13 straight State of Origin games.
That will become 14 when he leads them in the series opener on Wednesday night at Adelaide Oval in his 20th game for Queensland, a landmark which will earn him the FOGS Dick ‘Tosser’ Turner Medal.
In 2020 he captained the Maroons to a 2-1 series win after they had been dubbed the "worst ever" by NSW pundits.
Last year in the Origin series decider he led them to victory without the ill Cameron Munster in the team, and after injury had ravaged the side.
"I have got a bit of an education coming from my club. Manly is backs against the wall and always has that siege mentality so I got that ingrained in me from the start from Des," Cherry-Evans told AAP.
"Des and the senior players, when I first came into first grade (in 2011), were huge on that. It did give me a bit of a lesson to use later on in life.
"Most players would have been told through their careers in juniors and the NRL that they aren't good enough or they can't do something.
"Certainly being told that while playing for Queensland gets me excited about competing. It adds an extra element to it.
"Your motivation as a player is always those things around your teammates, Origin and in particular your family and the state of Queensland."
This year the Maroons have been criticised for giving Origin debutant Reece Walsh and inexperienced Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow jerseys ahead of Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai. Once again, the Blues are favoured to win.
"You really tap into those things. I guess there is that extra bit of motivation in rugby league when you are not meant to do something in rugby league," Cherry-Evans said.
"When you put everything into it with your teammates and come away with what people call special victories it is unreal to be a part of those moments."
Munster said he was proud to be Cherry-Evans’ halves partner and admired his spirit.
"Congratulations Cherry on 20 games. He is a great player and he's been a great player for a long time," Munster said.
"He has done a lot of good things for Queensland as a captain the last couple of years when everyone has written him off.
"There has been a lot of speculation about whether he should be in the team or not and he keeps proving his critics wrong.
"That's what I love about him. He's a fighter."
