North Queensland second-rower Jeremiah Nanai has been recalled to the Queensland side but it is far more than a leap of faith by coach Billy Slater.
The 23-year-old aerial specialist has been superb in 11 Origin games for the Maroons and is fresh from a stunning two-try man of the match display for the Cowboys in the 26-12 win over Penrith on Saturday.
This season Nanai, who missed the opening two Origin games, has played just four club matches due to a shoulder injury but showed against the Panthers that he is back to his best.
Brisbane lock Pat Carrigan has also been recalled for the Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium on July 8 after missing the 44-24 win over NSW in game two at the MCG with an ankle injury.
Carrigan has not played since May 31 but Slater has done his due diligence and is confident he will be fit and firing for the match.
The 28-year-old has been a feature in Maroons teams since Slater became coach in 2022.
Queensland will be without Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins, who has been ruled out after failing an HIA in the 24-18 club win over Brisbane on Friday night.
The Maroons are seeking their first Origin win in Brisbane since game two in 2023, when Nanai played one of his career-best games in a 32-6 win to wrap up the series.
Before that encounter, Slater had a 30-minute session on a laptop with Nanai, who he had recalled to the team, highlighting the finer points of edge defence. The Cowboys star responded with a brilliant match.
"To listen to him for half an hour ... it was just crazy what I learned," Nanai told AAP after the match.
"Billy gave me a lot of tips mainly on defence and there was a lot of detail to it but when I was playing in the game it came back into my head.
"When I listen to him I get confidence in myself, thanks to Billy."
The Maroons will field an unchanged backline from game two, the same starting one-to-seven they have selected throughout the series.
Queensland have lost their past two games at their spiritual home and it is not lost on the players that their performances in front of their own fans since 2023 have not been acceptable.
They lost game one last year 18-6 at Suncorp Stadium and had to make history by triumphing twice on the road to win the series.
The home loss that hurt the most was the 14-4 defeat in the 2024 decider, where they were well below their best.
This series, the Maroons have been at their peak in the first half of their game one 22-20 loss, when they led 20-0, and in the second half at the MCG when they scored an Origin record 36 points.
"We have a process we need to stick to and there is no reason why we can't be at our best over the 80 minutes," Maroons utility Max Plath told AAP.
"It is definitely a work in progress we will continue to improve on and it is something we are going to nail at Suncorp. We have to remember NSW are a quality team with great players."
LIKELY QUEENSLAND TEAM: Kalyn Ponga, Selwyn Cobbo, Robert Toia, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jojo Fifita, Cameron Munster (c), Sam Walker, Thomas Flegler, Harry Grant, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Briton Nikora, Kurt Capewell, Reuben Cotter, Max Plath, Pat Carrigan, Jeremiah Nanai, Trent Loiero, Reece Walsh, Murray Taulagi.
Australian Associated Press
