With the wet conditions and a slippery surface in Sydney I thought it was a pretty typical opening to a Holden State of Origin Series in Game One but there will be an extra sense of desperation when the Blues come up to Brisbane next Wednesday night.
Often in Game One there are few points scored as everyone gets used to that arena again and there is just so much riding on getting away to a good start.
It has been proven in the past that if you win Game One you are more than likely going to go on and win the series so it wasn't a surprise to me to see both teams bring a conservative game-plan with very little ball movement.
That should change in Game Two as New South Wales can no longer afford to dwell on missed opportunities or fail to challenge the Queensland defence. They will come up here throwing the ball around a lot more than what they did in Game One but the Queensland defence has proven time and time again how strong it is and how much pressure it can withstand.
The encouraging sign from a NSW perspective was the way that they hung in there in Game One. Over the last couple of years in those tight games they tend to lose it at the back end so it was good to see them hang in there and trying to snatch a win until the final minute of the game.
They never gave up and that's something that their coach Laurie Daley should be commended for. He's that type of person who would instil that in those guys to make sure that they are playing the whole 80 or 90 minutes – whatever it may be – and you can see NSW starting to do that.
If NSW are to win next Wednesday night and level the Series the key will be at their core, their six, seven, nine and one. Game One was the first time they had all played together so they're going to be a whole lot better and if they can control the game a lot more, especially with their kicking game and getting their passing game on point, they will be a lot more dangerous.
Now that Adam Reynolds has got his first Origin under his belt he should be a whole lot more confident and a lot more relaxed but his challenge will be to execute in the intense atmosphere that comes with an Origin at Suncorp Stadium.
There is always a great atmosphere when you play in Sydney but when you come up here to Suncorp and you've got 52,500 screaming Queensland fans, you know that you're down 1-0 in the Series and have to win, that's serious pressure.
He just has to find a way to stay relaxed, stay calm and play his natural game. If he can play his natural game then he can be a real danger for them.
The other major attacking threat I see in the Blues is Dylan Walker off the bench. NSW should definitely look at getting him more game-time, especially when everyone gets a bit tired. He is one guy that can be dangerous for them.
The biggest battle facing the Queensland boys will be to match the desperation and intensity that NSW are going to play with.
NSW are going to come up a lot more aggressive and with a lot more football in them but the boys who have been there and done it before will understand that.
They've got to make sure that they don't just go with them but weather that storm and then play at their speed and take control of the game.
Prop Josh McGuire has some additional responsibility with his promotion to the starting team for Nate Myles but he is a guy that can play a lot of minutes and is probably one of the fittest forwards in the competition.
I've seen what he's done for the Broncos and in pre-season he is up there with the backs so I know he'll be able to handle starting.
He's a guy that likes to think he can play more as well so it's just a matter of him going out there and doing his job and playing as hard and as fast as he can.
Dane Gagai was unbelievable in Game One and his combination with Justin O'Neill is going to get a whole lot better and without stating the obvious guys like Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, two guys who will have a key role to play will be Aidan Guerra and Corey Parker. When you lose a guy like Nate Myles with the amount of work that he does he represents what Queensland is all about.
He does a lot of the work that goes unrecognised and as good as the guys are that have been picked, it's almost impossible to replace a guy like Nate Myles.
But again, the one thing that stood out for me from a Queensland perspective in Game One was their defence.
Everyone was saying that they were old and over the hill but it just goes to show what experience can do for your side.
None of those boys panicked, the senior players all knew what position they had to be in to make sure everyone was calm, kept hitting down the middle, kept turning up in defence and that's what Origin's all about.
It's all about making that extra effort when you think you're tired and making sure that you support your mate and don't be the one that lets them down.
That's what Queensland has always lived by.
